HICKS' 

BUILDERS'  GUIDE, 

COMPRISING 

An  Easy,  Practical  System  of  Estimating  Material 
and  Labor 


Carpenters,  Contractors  and  Builders. 

A  COMPREHENSIVE  GUIDE  TO  THOSE  ENGAGED 

IN  THE  VARIOUS  BRANCHES  OF  THE 

BUILDING  TRADES. 

BY    I.    P.    HICKS. 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  NUMEROUS  ENGRAVINGS  OF  ORIGINAL 
DRAWINGS. 


FIFTH    THOUSAND. 

PRICE,  ONE  DOLLAR. 


DAVID  WILLIAMS,  PUBLISHER, 
Nos.  96-102  READE  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


Copyright 

I.    P.    HICKS. 

1893. 


PREFACE. 


The  importance  of  such  a  work  as  "Hicks'  Build- 
ers' Guide  "  will  be  apparent  to  all  making  an  in- 
spection of  its  contents,  while  every  one  who  will 
give  its  pages  a  few  hours  of  careful  consideration 
and  attention  cannot  fail  to  appreciate  the  conven- 
ience and  usefulness  of  the  volume.  From  actual  ex- 
perience I  know  there  are  many  things  about  build- 
ing which,  if  arranged  for  concise  and  ready  refer- 
ence and  put  into  book  form,  would  be  a  valuable 
aid  to  carpenters,  contractors  and  builders.  The 
frequent  inquiries  which  I  have  seen  in  building 
journals  have  led  me  to  the  belief  that  a  book  con- 
densed in  form,  giving  in  an  easy,  practical  way  gen- 
eral items  of  interest  and  value  to  the  trades  ad- 
dressed, is  much  needed. 

In  this  volume  it  has  been  the  object  of  the 
author  to  point  out  how  mistakes  ma)'-  be  avoided  in 
making  estimates  and  to  introduce  a  practical  sys- 
tem for  making  such  estimates,  thus  enabling  the 
carpenter  or  builder  to  do  the  work  with  greater 
accuracy.  The  information  in  this  work  has  been 
collected  from  the  close  observation  and  actual  ex- 
perience of  a  practical  workman,  who  has  spent  years 
in  the  execution  of  just  that  class  of  work  with  which 
the  majority  of  workmen  meet  from  day  to  day. 

That  the  information,  methods  and  rules  set  forth 
in  this  work  may  serve  to  instruct  and  benefit  all  who 
become  the  possessor  of  a  copy  of  it  is  the  earnest 
wish  of  THE  AUTHOR. 

OMAHA,  NKB.,  1893. 


POINTS  ON  ESTIMATING. 

To  the  carpenter  and  contractor  there  is  nothing 
of  more  importance  than  accurate  estimating,  for 
it  is  one  on  which  success  in  business  largely  de- 
pends. What  is  it  worth  ?  is  a  question  very  fre- 
quently asked  the  carpenter,  and  he  is  expected 
to  know  at  once  everything  about  a  building.  What 
is  it  worth  to  build  a  house  like  Mr.  Blank's? 
What  is  it  worth  to  build  a  porch  on  my  house  ? 
What  is  it  worth  to  build  a  bay  window  on  my  house  ? 
How  much  more  will  it  cost  to  put  sliding  doors 
in  my  house  than  folding  doors?  Similar  questions 
by  the  hundred  are  daily  asked  the  carpenter,  and 
the  persons  inquiring  naturally  expect  a  prompt 
answer  and  a  reliable  estimate.  The  question,  What 
is  it  worth?  is  often  a  difficult  one  to  answer,  and 
when  applied  to  a  hundred  different  things  it  is  no 
wonder  the  carpenter  finds  himself  beset  with  diffi- 
culties. That  thousands  of  mechanics  have  long  felt 
the  need  of  some  reliable  and  practical  method  of 
estimating  material  and  labor  required  in  build'ng 
there  can  be  no  doubt. 

To  make  an  estimate  for  a  building  always  re- 
quires a  careful  consideration  of  the  plans  and  speci- 
fications, as  well  as  a  considerable  amount  of  figur- 
ing. Practical  experience  and  personal  familiarity 
with  every  item  that  enters  into  the  construction  of  a 
building  is  what  every  man  needs  in  order  to  become 
a  good  estimator  ;  yet  this  is  no  reason  why  he  can- 
not learn  or  profit  from  the  experience  of  others.  In 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


<:his  hustling,  bustling  age  of  the  world  the  easiest, 
quickest  and  surest  way  of  estimating  is  needed. 
Such  a  method  can  only  be  acquired  by  close  atten- 
tion to  business,  adopting  means  and  methods  which 
will  be  a  safeguard  against  mistakes  and  by  learning 
to  estimate  actual  quantities.  Before  proceeding 
further  with  this  subject  it  will  be  well  to  explain 
some  of  the  principal  terms  used  in  measuring  dis- 
tances, surfaces  and  solids. 

LINEAR   MEASURE. 

This  is  used  in  measuring  distances  where  length 
only  is  considered  —  without  regard  to  breadth  or 
depth.  It  is  frequently  called  lineal  measure,  mean- 
ing measured  in  a  line  without  regard  to  breadth  or 
depth.  It  is  sometimes  called 
line  measure.  Fig.  i  shows  a 
lineal  foot,  drawn  to  a  scale  of  i 
inch  to  the  foot,  the  three  figures 
following  being  to  other  scales. 


SQUARE    MEASURE. 

This  is  used  in  measuring  sur- 
faces or  things  whose  length  and 
breadth  are  considered  without 
regard  to  hight  or  depth,  as 
sheeting,  flooring,  plastering,  &c.  rig.  2. -A  Square  Foot. 
Fig.  2  shows  a  square  foot.  In 

the  measurement  of  lumber,  square  measure  is  fre- 
quently termed  board  measure,  and  when  used  as 
board  measure  the  thickness  is  considered  as  one  inch. 
A  square  is  a  figure  which  has  four  equal  sides,  and  all 
its  angles  right  angles,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2.  Hence  a 
square  inch  is  a  square  the  sides  of  which  are  each 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


a  lineal  inch  in  length.  A  square  foot  is  a  square  the 
sides  of  which  are  each  a  lineal  foot  in  length,  as  rep- 
resented in  the  diagram.  A  square  yard  is  a  square 
the  sides  of  which  are  each  a  lineal  yard  in  length 
and  contains  9  square  feet,  as  shown  in  Fig.  3.  Square 
measure  is  so  called  because  its  measuring  unit  is  a 
square.  The  standard  of  square  measure  is  derived 
from  the  standard  linear  measure.  Hence  a  unit  of 
square  measure  is  a  square  the  sides  of  which  are  re- 


9  square  feet  --=  1  square  yard 


rig.  3.-A  Square  Yard. 


Fig.  4. -A  Cubic  Foot. 


spectively  equal  in  length  to  the  linear  unit  of  the 
same  name. 

CUBIC    MEASURE. 

This  is  used  in  measuring  solid  bodies  or  things 
which  have  length,  breadth  and  thickness,  such  as 
stone  masonry,  the  capacity  of  bins,  boxes,  rooms, 
&c.  A  cube  is  a  solid  body  bounded  by  six  equal 
sides.  It  is  often  called  a  hexahedron.  Hence,  a  cubic 
inch  is  a  cube  each  of  the  sides  of  which  is  a  square 
inch.  A  cubic  foot  is  a  cube  with  each  of  its  sides  a 
square  foot,  as  shown  in  Fig.  4. 

Cubic  measure  is  so  called  because  its  measuring 
unit  is  a  cube.  The  standard  of  cubic  measure  isde- 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


rived  from  the  standard  linear  measure.  A  unit  of 
cubic  measure  therefore  is  a  cube  whose  sides  are 
respectively  equal  in  length  to  the  linear  unit  of  the 
same  name. 

ITEMS    AND    QUANTITIES. 

Having  explained  the  terms  used  in  the  measure- 
ment of  material  the  next  step  will  be  to  consider  the 
method  of  estimating  the  same.  In  estimating  the 
lumber  required  for  a  building  there  are  many  parts 
for  which  the  amounts  required  may  be  listed  in  a 
convenient  form  of  table.  For  example,  if  we  know 
the  amount  of  material  of  one  kind  required  for  one 
window  frame,  we  can  multiply  this  amount  by  the 
number  of  frames,  and  obtain  the  total  amount  at 
once  of  this  kind  of  material  required  for  frames,  and 
so  on  with  various  other  parts.  Much  time  will  be 
saved  by  having  a  list  of  this  kind,  and  it  will  aid 
very  much  to  insure  correctness  in  estimating.  Fol- 
lowing is  a  list  of  items  giving  the  amount  of  lum- 
ber required  for  various  parts  of  buildings  arranged 
for  concise  and  ready  reference  : 

LIST  OP  ITEMS  AND   QUANTITIES  REQUIRED.  Fg   , 

Jamb  casings  for  windows,    Jg-inch  finish 10 

Jamb  casings  for  windows,  IJ^-inch  finish 12 

Jamb  casings  for  doors,    ,%  -inch  finish 10 

Jamb  casings  for  doors,  IJ^-inch  finish 12 

Jamb  casings  for  doors,  l>£-inch  finish 15 

Jamb  casings  for  doors,  2    -inch  finish 20 

Outside  casings  for  windows,    %-inch  finish 8 

Outside  casings  for  windows,  l}^-inch  finish 10 

Outside  casings  for  doors,    %-inch  finish 10 

Outside  casings  for  doors,  IJ^-inch  finish 12 

Inside  window  casings,  lineal  measure 20 

Inside  door  casings,  one  side  lineal  measure ... 16  to    18 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


[nside  door  casings,  two  sides  lineal  measure 32  to    36 

Band  molding  window  frames 16 

Band  molding  door  frames,  one  side 16  to    18 

Band  molding  door  frames,  two  sides  32  to    36 

Molding  outside  caps  of  frames 4 

Sills  for  windows,  per  frame,  lineal  measure 3>£ 

Sills  for  doors,  per  frame,  lineal  measure 4 

Window  stops,  per  frame , 12  to    16 

Parting  stops,  per  frame 12  to    16 

Door  steps,  per  frame 16  to    18 

Porch  columns,  board  measure 24  to    30 

Brackets,  board  measure 4  to      6 

Horses  and  treads  for  stairs,  l!^-inch  finish 90  to  110 

For  risers  and  finish  about  stairs,  ,%-inch  finish. .  .30  to    60 

Shelving  for  pantries 50  to  100 

Shelving  common  closets 4  to    8 

PRACTICAL  RULES  FOR  ESTIMATING. 

To    3  inch  flooring  add  one-third  for  the  matching. 
To   4  inch  flooring  add  one-fourth  for  the  matching. 
To   6  inch  flooring  add  one-fifth  for  the  matching. 
To   4  inch  ceiling  add  one-third  for  the  matching. 
To   6  inch  ceiling  add  one-fifth  for  the  matching. 
To   8  inch  shiplap  add  one-sixth  for  the  matching. 
To  10  inch  shiplap  add  one-eighth  for  the  matching. 
To  12  inch  shiplap  add  one-tenth  for  the  matching. 

ESTIMATING  SIDING. 

To  6-inch  beveled  siding  add  one  sixth  and  make 
no  deductions  for  openings,  for  in  general  the  open- 
ings will  fully  equal  the  lap  and  waste  in  cutting. 

ESTIMATING    SHEETING. 

In  estimating  sheeting  for  shingle  roofs  make  no 
allowance  for  spreading  the  boards.  Calculate  the 
same  as  for  close  sheeting  a  roof,  for  what  is  gained 
in  spreading  the  boards  is  generally  lost  in  the  cut- 
ting. The  boards  should  never  be  placed  more  than 


8  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

2  inches  apart  for  a  good  roof.  Sheeting  for  gut- 
ters on  roofs  having  box  cornices  is  an  item  often  for- 
gotten. These  gutters  are  variously  formed,  but 
usually  consist  of  four  pieces  of  sheeting,  forming  a 
bottom,  two  sides  and  a  fillet  next  to  the  crown  mold- 
ing. The  combined  width  of  these  pieces  is  from  i 
to  2  feet.  Hence  the  amount  of  lumber  required  for 
gutters  may  be  found  by  multiplying  the  length  of 
the  gutters  by  the  combined  width  of  the  pieces 
which  form  it. 

For  example,  suppose  the  length  of  gutters  on  a 
building  is  42  feet,  and  to  form  the  bottom,  sides  and 
fillet  requires  a  board  equal  to  i^  feet  wide,  how 
much  lumber  will  be  required  ?  Operation:  4.2  x  i/^ 
=  63  feet. 

The  sheeting  for  gutters  often  amounts  to  sev- 
eral hundred  feet  on  large  jobs,  and  is  a  matter  wor- 
thy of  attention.  Sheeting  is  one  of  the  items  of 
which  carpenters  usually  fall  short.  The  reason  is 
obvious,  it  being  one  of  the  cheapest  kinds  of 
material.  It  is  used  for  many  purposes  for  which  the 
carpenter  does  not  count.  Wherever  a  board  is 
wanted  for  one  purpose  or  another,  a  sheeting  board 
is  taken,  provided  it  will  answer,  while  several  hun- 
dred feet  are  usually  employed  in  building  scaffolds. 
A  large  portion  of  this  is  wasted  by  being  nailed, 
sawed  and  split,  It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  estimating 
sheeting  one-fifth  should  be  added  to  the  net  estimate. 

ESTIMATING     SHINGLES. 

In  estimating  shingles  allow  nine  to  the  square 
foot  when  laid  4^2  inches  to  the  weather,  and  eight 
to  the  square  foot  when  laid  5  inches  to  the  weather. 
Common  shingles  are  estimated  to  average  4  inches 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


wide,  and  250  are  put  up  in  a  bunch,  there  being  four 
bunches  to  the  thousand. 

Dimension  shingles  are  usually  5  or  6  inches  wide, 
150  to  1 80  being  put  in  a  bunch,  and  four  bunches 
counted  1000.  In  reality  there  are  not  1000  shingles, 
but  being  wider  than  the  average  of  common  shingles 
they  are  counted  the  same.  There  is  more  waste  in 
laying  dimension  shingles  than  the  common  ones. 
One-eighth  should  be  allowed  for  waste  in  laying  di- 
mension shingles. 

ESTIMATING     STUDDING. 

To  estimate  studding  for  the  outside  walls  and  par- 
titions in  houses,  estimate  them  12  inches  from 
centers,  then  when  they  are  set  the  usual  distance,  16 
inches  from  centers,  there  will  be  enough  for  all 
necessary  doubling  around  doors,  windows  and  cor- 
ners. I  prefer  this  rule  for  the  following  reasons  :  i. 
Because  it  is  easier  to  count  the  studding  12  inches 
from  centers  than  16,  as  the  number  of  feet  in  length 
of  an  outside  wall  or  a  partition  gives  the  number  of 
studding,  and  is  seen  at  once.  2.  Mistakes  are  less 
liable  than  in  estimating  16  inches  from  centers,  and 
adding  for  double  studding,  as  in  adding  for  double 
studding  more  than  one-half  the  places  requiring 
double  studding  will  be  overlooked.  This  rule  is 
not  intended  to  make  up  for  things  left  out,  but 
is  only  for  making  up  the  number  of  double  stud- 
ding required  around  doors,  windows  and  corners. 
Plates  and  other  places  requiring  studding  must  be 
estimated  separately.  Studding  is  another  item  of 
which  carpenters  usually  fall  short,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  many  are  used  in  places  that  were  over- 


10 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


looked  in  the  carpenter's  estimate.  To  prove  beyond 
a  doubt  that  the  method  of  estimating  12  inches  from 
centers  can  be  relied  upon,  we  will  give  a  plan,  Fig.  5, 
of  the  outside  walls  and  partitions  of  a  one-story 
cottage,  and  a  practical  example  illustrating  the 
method  of  estimating. 

Referring  to  the  plan,  it  will  be   observed  that  the 
size  is  24  x  32  feet,  and  that  the  length  of  each  par- 


Figr.  6.— Floor  Plan  of  a  One  Story  Cottage,  Shoving  Walls 
and  Partitions. 

tition  is  given.  We  will  suppose  it  to  be  a  xo-foot 
story.  Now,  by  the  plan  it  is  necessary  only  to  add 
the  length  of  the  outside  walls  and  the  partitions  to- 
gether, and  to  obtain  the  number  of  studding  re- 
quired. The  operation  is  as  follows  : 

Feet. 

Two  outside  walls,  32  feet  each 64 

Two  outside  walls,  24  feet  each 48 

One  inside  partition 32 

One  inside  partition „  . .  „ 14 

Three  inside  partitions,  10  feet  each 30 

One  inside  partition 4 

Total .192 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE.  11 

Thus  we  see  that  the  total  number  required  is  192 
studding.  Now,  by  the  old  way  of  estimating,  we 
would  have  to  find  the  feet  as  above.  Multiply  by 
12,  because  12  inches  make  a  foot,  and  divide  the 
product  by  16  inches,  the  distance  the  studding  are 
to  be  placed  from  centers.  By  the  old  method  the 
work  of  estimating  has  but  just  commenced,  but  we 
will  help  it  out  a  little  by  an  occasional  short  cut. 
If  we  multiply  192  feet  by  3  and  divide  by  4  the 
result  will  be  the  same  as  though  we  multiplied  by 
12  and  divided  by  16,  thus  192  x  3  -^  4  =  144 
studding,  the  number  required  without  any  doubling. 
Now  comes  the  work  of  counting  up  the  places 
requiring  double  studding,  which  is  more  bother- 
some than  all  the  rest  put  together.  In  cutting  out 
for  the  windows  the  pieces  that  come  out  will  make 
the  headers  ;  consequently,  if  the  sides  are  doubled 
it  will  take  about  three  studding  to  two  windows. 
Now,  there  are  eight  windows,  which  require 
12  studding.  This  amount  can  nearly  always  be 
saved,  as  most  window  frames  are  made  for  weights, 
and  the  studding  has  to  be  set  far  enough  away 
from  the  jambs  to  allow  the  weights  to  work  freely, 
and  when  thus  set  they  seldom  require  doubling.  In 
cutting  out  for  the  doors  the  pieces  that  come  out 
will  double  one  side,  and  it  will  require  one  lo-foot 
studding  to  double  the  other  side  and  make  the 
header.  There  are  eight  doors  on  the  plan,  conse- 
quently eight  lo-foot  studding  will  be  required  for 
them.  There  are  four  outside  corners,  to  double 
which  will  require  four  studding.  There  are  12 
inside  partition  angles,  which  we  will  suppose  in  this 
case  to  require  two  studding  to  the  corner,  which 


12  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

they  will  not,  as  one  studding  has  been  included  in 
the  partition,  but  we  will  call  it  two  to  the  corner, 
which  will  make  24  studding.  Now,  let  us  sum  up 
and  notice  the  results. 

Number  of  studding  estimated  16  inches  from  centers 144 

Number  of  studding  for  doubling  around  windows 12 

Number  of  studding  required  for  doubling  around  doors.  8 
Number  of  studding  for  doubling  four  outside  corners. .  4 
Number  of  studding  for  doubling  12  partition  angles 24 

Total 192 

Thus,  after  allowing  an  abundance  for  doubling, 
we  still  come  out  even.  After  all  our  figuring,  the 
old  method  has  only  proven  the  correctness  of  the 
new,  and,  as  it  is  so  much  easier  than  the  old,  it  may 
meet  with  favor.  As  for  myself,  I  can  say  that  I  have 
used  the  method  of  estimating  studding  12  inches 
from  centers  with  perfect  satisfaction,  and  have  al- 
ways had  a  few  left.  I  not  only  consider  Jt  the 
easiest,  but  the  most  accurate  way  of  estimating  stud- 
ding for  outside  walls  and  partitions. 

At  the  present  day  the  frame  work  of  most  houses 
is  composed  principally  of  studding,  such  as  are  used 
in  the  outside  walls  and  partitions.  This  is  especially 
true  regarding  the  plates,  rafters  and  sometimes  the 
ceiling  joists.  The  plates  on  the  outside  walls  are 
usually  doubled  and  the  partition  walls  usually  have 
a  single  plate,  top  and  bottom.  The  outside  walls  of 
small  buildings  do  not  require  plates  across  the  ends, 
but  on  tall  buildings  it  becomes  necessary  to  extend 
the  plates  across  the  ends.  To  estimate  the  number 
of  studding  required  for  plates,  add  together  in  feet 
the  lengths  of  the  outside  walls  and  partitions  which 
require  plates  and  divide  by  the  length  of  studding 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  13 

used  for  plates.  For  example  suppose  it  is  required 
to  put  plates  all  around  on  the  plan  shown  in  Fig.  5, 
which  is  192  feet,  including  outside  walls  and  parti- 
tions, and  that  the  lengths  of  studding  used  is  16 
feet;  then  192  -4-  16  =  12,  which  represents  the  num- 
ber of  studding  required  for  a  single  plate.  This 
amount  doubled  will  give  the  number  required  for 
double  plates  on  the  outside  walls  and  single  plates 
top  and  bottom,  on  the  partition  walls,  making  24 
studding,  the  net  amount,  to  which  should  be  added 
one-eighth  for  waste  in  cutting,  making  in  all  27,  the 
number  required  for  plates.  If  the  outside  walls  and 
partitions  do  not  have  the  same  amount  of  doubling, 
or  the  same  number  of  pieces  for  plates,  then  they  will 
have  to  be  estimated  separately. 

ESTIMATING    FLOOR    JOISTS. 

These  are  usually  placed  16  inches  from  centers, 
except  for  floors  which  are  to  carry  very  heavy 
weights.  In  these  the  joists  are  frequently  placed  12 
inches  from  centers.  To  estimate  them  12  inches 
from  centers  add  i  to  the  number  of  feet  in  length 
of  one  wall  on  which  the  joists  are  placed.  For  ex- 
ample, suppose  a  building  is  32  feet  long,  and  the 
joists  are  placed  12  inches  from  centers.  We  simply 
add  i  to  32,  which  makes  33,  the  number  of  joists 
required  for  one  span.  If  there  are  similar  spans  it 
will  only  be  necessary  to  multiply  by  the  number  of 
spans.  If  the  spans  are  unlike,  then  estimate  each 
span  separately.  If  the  joists  are  placed  16  inches 
from  centers,  then  multiply  the  length  of  wall  by  ^ 
and  add  i.  This  will  give  the  required  number. 
Thus  if  the  wall  is  32  feet  long,  then  32  x  ^  +  i  =  25, 
he  number  required  for  one  span.  The  reason  for 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


adding  i  is  because  the  first  operation,  that  of  multi- 
plying by  2^,  gives  the  number  of  spaces  between 
joists,  and  one  joist  more  than  there  are  spaces  is 
always  required,  except  in  cases  where  the  sills  serve 
the  place  of  a  joist.  In  such  a  case  the  exact  number 
will  be  one  less  than  the  number  of  spaces.  A  few 
extra  joists  are  usually  required  for  doubling  and 
framing  headers  around  stairways,  chimneys,  &c.  A 
little  attention  given  to  a  plan  will  show  the  number 
required  for  this  purpose.  Ceiling  joists,  collar 
beams  and  rafters  may  be  estimated  in  the  same 
manner. 

ESTIMATING    CORNICE. 

A  cornice  usually  consists  of  several  members,  the 
most  common  kind  being  known  as  the  five-member 
cornice,  which  consists  of  a  planceer,  fascia,  frieze, 
crown  and  bed  molding.  To  estimate  the  quantity 
of  lumber  required  for  a  cornice,  multiply  the  length 
in  feet  by  the  combined  width  of  the  planceer, 
fascia  and  frieze  in  feet.  Thus  if  the  planceer  is  12 
inches  wide,  the  fascia  4  inches  and  the  frieze  12 
inches,  the  combined  width  is  28  inches,  which  re- 
duced to  feet  equals  2^.  Now,  if  we  have  a  cornice 
120  feet  long  and  2^  feet  wide,  the  operation  will  be 
as  follows:  120  x  2^i  =  280  feet,  net  amount.  In 
cutting  up  lumber  for  cornice  there  is  always  more 
or  less  waste,  and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  one-eighth 
should  be  added  to  the  net  figures.  One-eighth  of 
280  is  35;  thus  the  total  amount  required  is  315  feet 
board  measure.  The  bed  and  crown  molding  will 
each  be  the  same  as  the  length  of  the  cornice,  with 
one-eighth  added  for  waste  in  cutting.  One-eighth  of 
120  feet  is  15;  thus  the  total  amount  of  molding  re- 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  15 

quired  is  135  feet  lineal  measure.  It  usually  takes  a 
few  feet  more  of  the  crown  molding  than  of  the  bed 
molding  on  account  of  the  crown  molding  being  on 
the  outside  line  of  the  cornice.  This  difference  is 
hardly  worth  noticing  except  on  large  jobs.  The 
difference  usually  amounts  to  from  2  to  3  feet  per 
square  turn  in  the  cornice,  and  is  usually  estimated 
by  counting  the  number  of  turns. 

ESTIMATING    CORNER    CASINGS. 

The  width  of  the  average  corner  casing  is  about  5 
inches,  and  the  easiest  and  quickest  way  to  estimate 
material  for  this  purpose  is  to  allow  i  foot  board 
measure  to  each  lineal  foot  in  hight  per  corner.  Thus 
the  hight  of  a  corner  in  feet  gives  the  number  of  feet 
board  measure  required,  and  is  very  easy  to  calculate. 
For  example,  if  a  building  has  iSfeet  studding  for  out- 
side walls  it  will  require  18  feet  of  lumber,  board  meas- 
ure, per  corner  for  corner  casings.  Many  houses  have 
what  are  commonly  termed  belt  courses.  These  are 
usually  casings  of  the  same  width  as  the  corner 
casings  and  extend  around  the  building  at  the  top  or 
bottom  of  the  window  and  door  frames.  To  esti- 
mate these,  find  the  number  of  feet,  lineal  measure, 
required  and  divide  by  2,  which  gives  the  amount 
in  board  measure.  Board  measure  is  understood  to 
mean  i  inch  thick.  One  quarter  must  be  added  for 
i^-inch  lumber,  and  one-half  for  i^  inch  lumber. 
In  estimating  corner  casings  and  belt  casings  in  the 
manner  just  described,  nothing  need  be  added  for 
waste,  because  we  have  estimated  the  casings  6 
inches  wide  when  only  5  inches  are  required.  This 
allowance  is  sufficient  to  cover  the  waste  and  makes 
the  computation  much  easier. 


16  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

MISTAKES     FROM     OMISSIONS. 

Having  given  the  reader  the  essential  points  and 
short  cuts  in  estimating  material,  we  will  now  point 
out  what  is  considerd  a  source  of  frequent  mistakes, 
and  give  a  safeguard  for  it.  In  estimating  material 
many  mistakes  are  made  from  omissions.  A  bill  of 
material  for  the  construction  of  a  building  always 
requires  a  long  list  of  items,  and  it  frequently  hap- 
pens that  some  items  have  been  forgotten  and  left 
entirely  out  of  consideration.  Probably  more 
serious  mistakes  in  estimating  material  arise 
from  this  cause  than  any  other.  They  are 
very  discouraging  to  the  contractor.  They  are 
things  he  did  not  count  on,  but  nevertheless  he  has 
them  to  buy,  and  as  extras  he  always  has  to  pay 
more  for  them  than  he  would  had  he  included  them 
in  his  original  bill.  Now,  if  a  person  had  an  itemized 
list  of  the  material  entering  into  the  construction  of 
a  building,  there  is  no  doubt  by  comparing  his  bill 
with  the  list  mistakes  from  omitting  items  would  be 
avoided.  In  a  bill  there  are  many  items  of  material 
that  are  used  for  different  purposes  and  different  parts 
of  a  building,  hence  to  make  a  list  complete  in  every 
detail  it  should  mention  the  part  of  a  building  for 
which  each  kind  of  material  is  used.  In  the  list 
following,  the  items  which  are  likely  to  be  used  for 
more  than  one  purpose  or  part  of  a  building  are  in 
full-face  type,  and  the  different  parts  for  which  the 
same  are  likely  to  be  used  are  in  type  of  the  usual 
face. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


LIST  OF  ITEMS  FOR  ESTIMATING  LUMBER. 


Sills. 

Side  Sills. 

End  Sills. 

Middle  Sills. 

Trimmers. 
Post?. 

Main  Posts. 

Center  Posts. 

Door  Posts. 

Basement  Posts. 
Girts. 

Main  Girts. 

Side  Girts. 

Tie  Girts. 

Joists. 

First  Floor. 
Second  Floor. 
Third  Floor. 
Ceiling  Joists. 
Porch  Joists. 

Studding. 

Side  Studding. 

Gable  Studding. 

Partition  Studding. 

Braces. 

Plates. 

Porches. 

Bay  Windows. 

Roof  Timbers. 

Common  Rafters. 
Hip  Rafters. 
Valley  Rafters. 
Jack  Rafters. 
Trusses. 
Purlins. 
Collar  Beams. 


Sheeting. 

Outside  Walls. 
Roof  Sheeting. 
Gutters. 
Floor  Lining. 
Shiplap  Sheeting. 
Shingles. 

Dimension  Shingles. 

Siding. 

Beveled  Siding. 
Cove  Siding. 
Barn  Siding. 

Battens. 

%  Ogee  Battens, 
i^-inch  Battens. 
Lattice. 

Furring. 

1  x  2  Inch. 
2x2  inch. 

Fencing. 

4  Inch. 
6  Inch. 

Paper. 

Straw  Board. 
Tarred  Board. 

Finish,  %  Inch. 
Outside  Base. 
Bay  Window  Finish, 
Porch  Finish. 
Cornice. 
Brackets. 
Stair  Risers. 
Jamb  Casings. 
Pantry  Shelves. 
Closet  Shelves. 


Is 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


Finish,  l^Inch. 

Outside  Casings. 
Corner  Boards. 
Jamb  Casings. 
Porch  Finish. 
Bay  Window  Finish. 
Scroll  Work. 
Stairs  and  Steps. 
Outside  Steps. 

Finish,  2  Inch. 

Door  Sills. 
Window  Sills. 
Jamb  Casing. 
Brackets. 
Cellar  Stairs. 

Finish,  1%  Inch. 

Outside  Casings. 
Outside  Steps. 

Finish,  %  Inch. 

Panels. 

Drawer  Bottoms. 

Flooring. 

Main  Floors. 
Kitchen  Floor. 
Dining  Room  Floor. 
Porch  Floors. 

Ceiling. 

Porch  Ceilings. 
Panels. 
Wainscoting. 
Lining  Partitions. 

Inside  Finish. 

Casings. 
Corner  Blocks. 
Plinth  Blocks. 


Stair  Rail. 
Newel  Posts. 
Balusters. 

Molding. 

Bed  Molding. 
Crown  Molding. 
Panel  Molding. 
Cove  Molding. 
Base  Molding. 
Band  Molding. 
Quarter  Round. 
Door  Stops. 
Window  Stops. 
Parting  Stops. 
Wainscoting  Cap. 
Window  Stools. 
Water  Table. 
Thresholds. 

Doors. 

Front  Doors. 
Sliding  Doors. 
Closet  Doors. 
Cupboard  Doors. 
Cellar  Doors. 

Windows. 

Bay  Windows. 
Pantry  Windows. 
Cellar  Windows. 
Transoms. 
Art  Glass. 
Plate  Glass. 

Blinds. 

Outside  Blinds. 
Inside  Blinds. 

Corner  Beads. 


GEOMETRICAL  MEASUREMENT  OF  ROOFS. 

In  the  measurement  of  carpentry  work  there 
is  probably  no  part  so  difficult  to  master  as  the 
accurate  measurement  of  roofs,  particularly  where 
they  are  composed  of  hips  and  valleys  forming 
a  great  variety  of  irregular  surfaces.  The  shapes  of 
roofs  having  hips,  valleys  and  gables  are  usually 
represented  in  the  form  of  some  triangle.  The 


Figs.  6-10.— Different  Forms  of  Triangles. 


Fig.  11.— A  Square.  Fig.  12.— A  Rectangle. 

different  forms  of  triangles  are  shown  in  the  dia- 
grams, Fig.  6  representing  an  equilateral  triangle, 
Fig.  7  an  isosceles  triangle,  Fig.  8  a  right-angled  tri- 
angle, Fig.  9  an  obtuse-angled  triangle  and  Fig.  10 
a  scalene  triangle.  Figs.  6,  7  and  10  are  also  acute- 
angled  triangles.  Fig.  u  shows  a  square  and  Fig. 
12  a  rectangle.  It  is  a  very  easy  matter  to  compute 
the  area  or  surface  measurement  of  a  square  or  a 
rectangle.  The  area  of  a  square  or  a  rectangle  is 

19 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


found  by  multiplying  its  length  by  its  breadth.  In 
computing  roof  measurements  all  triangles  can  be 
reduced  to  squares  or  rectangles  of  equal  areas  by 
very  simple  methods. 

FINDING     THE    AREA    OF    A    GABLE. 

Referring  to  Fig.  13,  A  B  C  represents  the  gable 
of  a  building  of  which  A  C  is  the  width  and  D  B  is 
the  perpendicular  hight. 
By  dividing  the  gable 
on  the  line  D  B  we  have 
two  triangles  of  equal 
areas  and  equal  sides. 
It  is  evident  that  if  the 
triangle  D  B  C  is 
placed  in  the  position 
shown  by  the  dotted 
lines  A  E  B,  it  will 

form  a  square  whose  side  is  equal  to  one-half  the 
width  of  the  gable.  This  of  course  applies  to  gables 


Fig.  13.— Diagram  for  Finding 
Area  of  a  Gable. 


ADO 
Fig.  U.— Finding  Area  of  Gable  when  Koof  is  Less  than  Half  Pitch. 

on  buildings  of  a  half  pitch  roof.  With  a  roof  of  less 
pitch  a  rectangle  would  be  formed  with  A  D  for  its 
length  and  D  B  for  its  breadth,  as  shown  in  Fig. 
14.  In  this  figure  the  triangle  A  B  C  is  equal  in  area 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE 


21 


to  the  rectangle  A  E  B  D.  From  the  foregoing  illus- 
trations and  principles  we  derive  the  following  : 

Rule. — Multiply  one-half  the  width  of  the  gable  by 
the  perpendicular  hight. 

For  example,  if  a  gable  is  24  feet  wide  and  the 
perpendicular  hight  is  8  feet,  then  24  -H  ^  x  8  =  96 
feet,  the  area  of  the  gable. 

FINDING  THE  AREA  OF  A  TRIANGLE. 

Let  ABC  represent  a  right-angled  triangle,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  15.  If  we  divide  the  triangle  hori- 
zontally half  way  on  the 
perpendicular,  then  the  tri- 
.angle  E  B  D  will  equal  in 
area  the  triangle  shown  .by 
the  dotted  lines  A  F  E  ; 
hence  the  triangle  ABC 
equals  in  area  the  rectangle 
AFDC.  From  the  illustra- 
tion we  derive  the  following: 


Fig.   15.— Finding  Area  of  a 
Right- Angled  Triangle. 


Rule. — Multiply   the  base  by  one-half   the   perpen- 
dicular hight. 


D  C 

Fig.  13.— Finding  Area  of  a  Scalene  Triangle. 

In  Fig.  16  A  B  C  represents  a  scalene  triangle 
which  has  no  perpendicular  line  in  reality,  but  for 
convenience  in  estimating  we  draw  one,  which  is 


22 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


B  D,  dividing  the  triangle  into  two  right-angled  tri- 
angles of  unequal  areas.  By  dividing  the  triangle 
horizontally  half  way  on  the  perpendicular,  as  shown 
by  E  F,  the  triangle  E  B  F  equals  in  area  the  two 
triangles  shown  by  dotted  lines  AGE  and  F  H  C. 
Hence  the  triangle  ABC  equals  in  area  the  rectangle 
AG  H  C. 

Having  shown  how  triangles  may  be  reduced  to 
squares  and  rectangles  of  equal  areas,  the  next  step 
will  be  to  show  their  proper  application  to  roof 
measurements.  » 

PLAIN    GABLE    ROOFS. 

The  gable  roof  is  the  most  common  in  use,  and  is 
formed  by  two  sets  of  rafters  which  meet  at  the 
ridge.  Fig.  17  shows  a  plan  of 
this  kind  of  roof,  Fig.  18  a  side 
elevation,  Fig.  19  an  end  eleva- 
tion and  Fig.  20  showing  the  size 
of  roof  necessary  to  cover  the 
side  elevation  represented  in  Fig. 
18.  An  error  liable  to  occur  in  Fig.  17.— Plan  of  Gable 
taking  roof  measurements  from 

architectural  plans  consists  in  taking  the  line 
A  B  in  the  side  elevation,  Fig  18,  for  the  length 


N       A       lccl  I 

Figs.  18, 19  and  20.— Side  and  End  Elevations  of  a  Gable  Roof. 

of  the  rafter.    This  line  is  only  the  perpendicular  rise 
of  the  roof,  as  shown  in  the  end  elevation,  Fig.  19,  by 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


the  dotted  line  A  B.  In  Fig.  19,  B  G  represents  the 
length  of  rafter  which,  when  shown  in  a  perpendicu- 
lar position,  is  indicated  by  B  C  in  Fig.  20.  This 
shows  the  length  of  roof  and  of  rafter  necessary  to 
cover  the  side  elevation,  represented  in  Fig.  18. 
Hence  the  area  of  the  roof  is  found  by  multiplying 
the  length  of  the  roof  by  the  length  of  the  common 
rafter,  which  gives  the  area  of  one  side.  This  amount 
doubled  will  give  the  area  of  both  sides. 

HIP  ROOFS. 

The  liability  to  error  in  estimating  the  area  of  hip 
roofs  is  still  greater  than  in  the  case  of  gable  roofs, 
for  no  matter  from  which  point  we  view  the  eleva- 


Fig. 


21.— Plan   of    Hip 
with  Deck. 


Fig.  22.-Side  Elevation  of  Koof 
shown  in  Fig.  21. 


tions  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  is  not  shown 
in  proper  position  to  indicate  the  true  size  of  the 
roof.  Fig.  21  shows  a  plan  of  a  hip  roof  with  deck, 
and  Fig.  22  a  side  elevation  of  this  kind  of  roof.  In 
this  figure  some  might  take  the  lines  A  B  and  C  D 
for  the  length  of  the  hips,  and  C  E  for  the  length  of 
the  common  rafter,  but  such  is  not  the  case.  C  D 
shows  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  as  we  would 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


see  it  on  the  end  looking  at  the  side  view,  hence 
E  D  is  the  run,  E  C  the  rise  and  C  D  length  of  com- 
mon rafter.  I  will  now  indicate  the  method  of  de- 
veloping the  lengths  of 
the  hips,  showing  the 
true  size  of  the  roof, 
and  how  to  reduce  the 
figure  to  a  rectangle  of 
equal  area.  Referring 
to  Fig.  23,  A  B  C  D  and 

Fig. 23,-Size  and  Shape  Necessary         E    represent    the    same 
to  Cover  Roof.  ,. 

lines  as  shown  in  Fig. 

22.  Now,  take  the  length  of  the  common  rafters  A 
B  and  C  D  in  Fig.  23  and  draw  them  perpendicu- 
larly, as  shown  by  E  F  and  G  H.  Connect  F  with 
D  and  H  with  A  for  the  length  of  the  hips,  then  the 
figure  inclosed  by  the  lines  A  H  F  D  will  be  the  size 
and  shape  of  the  roof  necessary  to  cover  the  side  ele- 


P 


Fig.  24— Plan  of  Pyramidal 
Roof. 


Fig.  25.— Plan  of  Roof  which 
Hips  to  a  Ridge. 


vation.  The  triangle  described  by  the  lines  D  E  F 
equals  in  area  the  triangle  A  I  H,  shown  by  the  dot- 
ted lines.  Hence  the  roof  A  H  F  D  is  equal  in  area 
to  the  rectangle  A  I  F  E,  whose  length  is  one-half 
the  sum  of  the  eaves  and  deck  lengths  and  whose 
breadth  is  the  length  of  the  common  rafter.  The 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  25 

length  multiplied  by  the  breadth  gives  the  area. 
From  the  foregoing  illustrations  and  principles  we 
derive  the  following  : 

Rtde. — Add  the  lengths  at  the  eaves  and  deck  to- 
gether, divide  by  two  and  multiply  by  the  length  of 
the  common  rafter.  The  area  of  the  deck  is  found 
•by  multiplying  the  length  by  the  breadth. 

Example. — What  is  the  area  of  a  hip  roof  20  x  28 
feet  at  the  eaves,  with  deck  4x8  feet,  the  length 
of  the  common  rafter  being  10  feet  ? 

Operation. — 20  +  4+20  +  4+28  +  8  +  28  +  8-^-2 
x  10  =  600  feet,  the  area  of  the  four  sides.  4x8  = 
32  feet,  the  area  of  the  deck.  600  +  32  =  632,  the 
total  area  of  the  roof. 

This  rule  will  apply  to  hip  roofs  of  most  any 
kind.  If  the  roof  is  pyramidal  in  form  and  hips 
to  a  point,  as  shown  by  Fig.  24,  then  theie  is  noth- 
ing to  add  for  deck,  and  we  simply  multiply  one- 
half  the  length  at  the  eaves  by  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter.  The  principles  of  the  three  forms 
of  hip  roofs  are  essentially  the  same. 


HIP  AND   VALLEY    ROOFS. 

Let    Fig.    26    represent   the    plan    of    a   building 
having   a   roof   of  three    gables  '  of   equal    size   and 


Pig.  26.— Plan  of  Roof  with  Four  Gables. 

one  smaller  gable  hipped  on  the  rear  side,  as 
shown  in  the  diagram.  Fig.  27  shows  this  roof 
as  it  would  appear  in  the  front  side  elevation.  Refer- 


Flg.  27.— Front  Elevation  of  Roof  Shown  in  Fig.  26. 

ring  now  to  Fig.  28,  A  B  and  B  C  represent  the 
length  of  rafters  on  the  front  gable.  Next  set  off 
the  length  of  the  common  rafters  of  both  the  right 


THE   BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


and  left  gable  perpendicularly,  as  shown  by  F  G  and 
D  E,  connecting  E  with  G  for  the  ridge  line.  On  the 
perpendicular  line  of  the  front  gable  set  off  the  length 
of  the  common  rafter,  shown  by  the  dotted  line  J  H. 


Fig.  23.— Diagram  for  Finding  Area  of  Hoof  Shown  in  Previous  Figure. 

Connect  H  with  A  and  C  for  the  valley  rafters,  which 
completes  the  profile  of  this  side  of  the  roof.  The 
two  figures,  now  represented  by  A  D  E  H  and  C  F 
G  H,  are  termed  trapezoids.  To  find  the  area  of  a 
trapezoid  multiply  half  the  sum  of  the  parallel  sides 


Fig.  29.— Appearance  of  Roof  in  Bight  End  Elevation. 

by  the  altitude.  In  this  case  to  make  the  matter 
plain  we  multiply  half  the  length  at  the  eaves  and 
ridge  by  the  length  of  the  common  rafter,  which 
gives  the  area  of  the  roof  necessary  to  cover  the  ele- 
vation shown  in  Fig.  27. 

Fig.  29  shows  the  roof  as  it  would  appear  in  the 
right    end    elevation.     We    will    now    develop    the 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


shape  of  the  roof  and  obtain  the  necessary  lengths 
for  finding  the  area  of  this  elevation.  Referring 
now  to  Fig.  30,  A  B  and  B  C  represent  the  length  of 
rafters  on  the  right  gable.  Next  set  off  the  length  of 
rafter  on  the  front  gable  shown  by  D  E.  Then  set  off 
the  same  length  in  the  center  of  the  left  gable  shown 
by  the  dotted  line  J  H.  Connect  H  with  E  for  ridge 
line  of  front  gable.  Connect  H  with  A  and  C  for  the 
valley  rafters.  Now  take  half  the  width  of  the  rear 
gable,  which  is  to  be  hipped  on  the  end,  and  in  this 


Fig.  30.— Diagram  for  Finding  Area  of  Roof  Shown  in  Fig.  29. 

case  is  represented  by  C  F  From  C  erect  a  perpen- 
dicular the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  this  part, 
shown  by  the  dotted  line  C  G.  Connect  G  with  F 
for  the  hip  rafter  and  draw  the  ridge  line  G  I  par- 
allel with  C  F,  which  completes  the  profile  of  this 
view  of  the  roof.  The  figure  shown  by  A  D  E  H  is 
a  trapezoid,  and  its  area  may  be  found  as  has  been 
previously  described  for  such  figures.  The  figure 
shown  by  C  F  G  I  is  termed  a  rhomboid.  Its  area 
may  be  found  by  multiplying  C  F  by  C  G,  or,  in 
other  words,  the  length  at  the  eaves  multiplied  by 
the  length  of  the  common  rafter  gives  the  area. 
The  areas  of  the  two  figures  added  completes  the 
area  of  the  roof  necessary  to  cover  the  end  elevation 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


2*1 


shown  in  Fig.  29.  As  the  left  end  elevation  is  similar 
to  the  right  in  shape  and  size  the  last  estimated  area 
doubled  will  give  the  area  of  the  roof  necessary 
to  cover  the  two  end  elevations. 

We  have  now  to  consider  the  rear  elevation  and  the 
roof  necessary  to  cover  it.    Fig.  31  shows  the  roof  as  it 


Fig.  31.— Roof  as  it  Appears  n  Rear  Elevation. 

would  appear  in  the  rear  elevation.  We  will  now  de- 
velop the  shape  of  the  roof  and  obtain  the  necessary 
lengths  and  lines  for  finding  the  area  of  this  elevation. 
Referring  to  Fig.  32,  A  B  and  B  C  represent  the 
length  of  the  common  rafters  on  the  rear  gable. 


Fig.  32.— Diagram  for  Finding  the  Area  of  Roof  Shown  in  Fig.  31. 

From  the  center  of  the  gable  set  off  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line  J  H.  Con- 
nect H  with  A  and  C  for  the  length  of  the  hips.  Set 
off  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  right  and 
left  gable,  as  shown  bv  F  G  and  D  E  ;  connect  E  and 


30  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

G  for  the  ridge  line,  which  completes  the  profile  of 
the  rear  view  of  the  roof.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
ridge  of  the  rear  gable  does  not  come  up  even  with 
the  ridge  of  the  other  two  ;  hence  the  rear  elevation 
shows  a  different  shape  than  the  front.  For  conven- 
ience in  estimating,  we  divide  the  roof  in  the  center 
of  the  gable,  shown  by  the  dotted  line  H  I;  then 
divide  the  roof  perpendicularly  each  side  of  the  gable, 
as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines  A  K  and  C  L.  We  now 
have  the  roof  divided  into  four  figures,  of  which  D  E 
K  A  and  C  L  G  F  are  rectangles,  A  K  I  H  and  C  L 
I  H  are  trapezoids.  As  the  method  of  obtaining  the 
areas  of  such  figures  has  been  previously  described, 
further  explanation  is  unnecessary.  It  has  now  been 
shown  how  to  find  the  area  of  each  side  of  the  roof, 
as  indicated  in  the  plan,  Fig.  26.  By  adding  the 
area  of  the  four  sides  the  total  area  of  the  roof  will 
be  obtained. 

THE    CIRCLE. 

A  circle,  Fig.  33,  is  a  plane  figure  bounded  by  one 
uniformly  curved  line  called  the  circumference.  The 
diameter  of  a  circle  is  a  straight 
line  drawn  through  the  center 
and  terminating  at  the  circum- 
ference. The  radius  is  a  straight 
line  drawn  from  the  center  to 
the  circumference,  and  is  there- 
fore half  the  diameter. 

To  find  the  circumference  of 
a  circle  from  its  diameter,  multi- 
Fig.  33.-A  Circle.  pjy  the  diameter  by  3.I4I59. 

To  find  the  diameter  of  a  circle  from  its  circumfer- 
••^e,  divide  the  circumference  by  3.14159. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


31 


To  find  the  area  of  a  circle  multiply  half  the  cir- 
cumference by  half  the  diameter,  or  multiply  the 
square  of  the  diameter  by  the  decimal  .7854. 

To  find  the  side  of  the  greatest  square  that  can  be 
inscribed  in  a  circle  of  a  given  diameter,  divide  the 
square  of  the  given  diameter  by  2  and  extract  the 
square  root  of  the  quotient. 

TO  FIND  THE  RADIUS  OF  A  CIRCLE  FROM  A  SEGMENT. 

Let  A  C,  of   Fig.  34,  represent  the  chord  of  an  arc 
From  the  center  of  A  C   square  up  the  rise  of  the 
segment  to  B.     Connect  B  with  A  and  C.     From  the 


Fig.  34.— Diagram  for  Finding  Radius 
from  a  Segment. 


Fig.  35.— Drawing  a  Circle 
Through  Three  Points. 


center  of  A  B  and  B  C  square  down  the  lines  as 
shown.  The  point  of  crossing  at  D  is  the  center  of 
the  circle,  and  D  C  is  the  radius. 

TO    DRAW    A    CIRCLE    THROUGH    THREE    PJINTS. 

Set  off  any  three  points,  as  A  B  C,  Fig.  35.  Con- 
nect A  B  and  B  C  by  straight  lines.  From  the  center 
of  A  B  and  B  C  square  down  to  D,  as  shown,  which 
will  be  the  center  of  the  circle.  D  B  is  therefore  the 
radius  of  the  circle  which  will  strike  the  three  points 
ABC. 


32  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

POLYGONS. 

A  plane  figure  bounded  by  more  than  four  lines  is 
called  a  polygon.  It  must  therefore  have  at  least 
five  sides,  and  the  number  of  sides  which  it  may 
have  is  not  limited.  In  this  work  will  be  intro- 
duced only  the  forms  in  common  use,  for  the  purpose 
of  showing  simple  methods  of  estimating  their  areas 

A  regular  polygon  has  all  its  sides  and  angles 
equal,  as  shown  in  Fig.  36.  An  irregular  polygon 
has  its  sides  and  angles  unequal,  as  shown  in  Fig.  37. 


Fig.  36.— A  Regular  Fig.  37.— An  Irregular 

Polygon.  Polygon. 

A  polygon  of  five  sides,  as  shown  in  Fig.  36  or  37, 
is  called  a  pentagon.  The  diagonal  is  a  straight  line 
drawn  between  any  two  angular  points  of  a  polygon. 
The  diameter  is  a  straight  line  drawn  from  any 
angle  through  the  center  to  the  opposite  side  or 
angle,  as  the  case  may  be. 

To  find  the  area  of  a  regular  pentagon  we  will  let 
A  B  C  D  E  represent  the  sides  of  a  regular  pentagon, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  38.  Draw  the  diameter  A  F  and 
connect  E  with  B,  which  divides  the  pentagon  into 
four  figures — namely,  two  right  angled  triangles  of 
equal  areas  and  two  trapezoids  of  equal  areas.  E  G 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


multiplied  by  G  A  will  give  the  area  of  the  two  tri- 
angles. Half  the  sum  of  D  C  and  E  B  multiplied  by 
G  F  will  give  the  area  of  the  two  trapezoids.  The 
two  areas  added  will  give  the  total  area. 

To  find  the  area  of  an  irregular  pentagon,  we  will 
let  A  B  C  D  E  represent  the  sides,  as  shown  in  Fig.  39. 
Next  draw  A  D  and  A  C,  which  will  divide  the  pen- 
tagon into  three  triangles  of  unequal  areas ;  then 
draw  the  altitude  of  these  triangles,  which  is  the  per- 


Fig.  38.— Finding  Area  of 
Regular  Pentagon. 


Fig.  39.— Finding  Area  of  i 
Irregular  Pentagon. 


pendicular  distance  from  their  vertices  to  the  oppo- 
site sides,  called  the  base  and  shown  by  the  lines  E  F, 
A  G  and  B  H.  This  divides  the  figure  into  six  right 
angled  triangles  of  unequal  areas.  A  D  multiplied  by 
half  the  altitude  E  F  will  give  the  area  of  triangles 
i  and  2,  or  A  E  D  ;  then  D  C  multiplied  by  half  the 
altitude  A  G  will  give  the  area  of  triangles  3  and  4, 
or  D  A  C.  Again  A  C  multiplied  by  half  the  altitude 
H  B  will  give  the  area  of  triangles  5  and  6,  or  A  B  C. 
The  three  areas  added  will  give  the  total  area. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


A  polygon  of  six  sides  is  called  a  hexagon,  and 
is  shown  in  Fig.  40.  To  find  the  area  of  this 
figure  draw  the  diagonals  as  shown  in  Fig.  41,  which 
divide  the  hexagon  into  equal  triangles,  the  size  of 


Fig.  40.— A  Hexagon. 


Fig.  41.— Finding  the  Area 
of  a  Hexagon. 


which  is  represented  by  A  B  C.  Next  draw  the  alti- 
tude of  this  triangle,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line  B 
D.  Now,  A  C  multiplied  by  half  the  altitude  B  D 


Fig.  42.— Describing  any  Reg- 
ular Polygon. 


Fig.  43.— An  Octagon. 


will  give  the  area  of  the  triangle  ABC,  and  this  mul 
tiplied  by  six  will  give  the  total  area.  The  area  of 
any  regular  polygon  may  be  found  by  drawing  lines 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


35 


from  all  of  its  angles  to  the  center,  thus  forming  tri- 
angles of  equal  areas,  which  may  be  estimated  by 
multiplying  the  base  by  one-half  the  altitude,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  41.  To  describe  any  regular  polygon 
draw  the  circumference  of  a  circle;  divide  the  circum- 
ference into  as-  many  equal  spaces  as  the  polygon  has 
sides,  connect  these  points  with  straight  lines,  and 
the  polygon  is  completed,  as  shown  in  Fig.  42. 

A  polygon  of  eight  sides  is  called  an  octagon  and 
is  shown  in  Fig.  43.     In  Fig.  44  is  represented  a  plan 


Fig.  44.— Plan  of  an  Octagon 
Tower  Roof. 


Fig-.  45.— An  Elevation  of  an 
Octagon  Tower  Hoof. 


and  in  Fig.  45  an  elevation  of  an  octagon  tower  roof. 
In  Fig.  45  A  B  C  D  represent  the  plates  and  A  E, 
B  E,  C  E  and  D  E  the  hip  rafters.  The  dotted  line 
F  E  represents  the  common  rafter.  To  find  the  area 
of  this  roof  multiply  B  C  by  half  of  F  E  and  this 


36  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

product  by  eight,  the  number  of  sides.  It  will  now 
be  seen  that  the  area  of  any  tower  roof  from  a  square 
to  a  polygon  of  any  number  of  sides  may  be  found 
by  multiplying  the  length  of  its  side  by  half  the 
length  of  the  common  rafter.  If  the  tower  has  a 
round  base  then  the  circumference  of  its  base  multi- 
plied by  half  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  will  give 
the  area.  The  reader  has  now  been  shown  wherein 
it  is  possible  to  make  mistakes  in  the  measurement 
of  roofs,  as  indicated  by  the  elevations.  It  has 
been  shown  how  to  develop  the  true  shapes  and  sizes 
of  irregular  roof  surfaces  and  how  to  reduce  them  to 
squares  or  rectangles  of  equal  areas,  or  to  figures 
whose  areas  are  easily  calculated.  I  might  go  on 
illustrating  and  describing  roofs  seemingly  without 
end,  but  enough  has  been  illustrated  to  thoroughly 
show  the  principles  and  methods  of  estimating  roof 
surfaces.  By  a  little  study  of  the  principles  and 
methods,  as  previously  set  forth,  the  reader  will  be 
able  to  make  proper  application  of  them  to  the  sur- 
face measurement  of  any  roof. 

It  will  be  noticed  in  nearly  all  cases  that  the  essen- 
tial measurements  for  computing  the  area  or  surfaces 
of  roofs  are — i,  the  length  at  the  eaves  ;  2,  the  length 
at  the  ridge  or  deck,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  3,  the 
length  of  the  common  rafter. 

In  works  of  this  kind  it  has.  been  customary  to 
show  a  number  of  illustrations  on  geometry,  merely 
indicating  how  to  construct  certain  figures  from  a 
given  side  or  a  few  given  points,  while  in  all  cases 
the  most  important  part  which  a  carpenter  requires — 
that  of  computing  the  area  of  irregular  surfaces — has 
been  omitted.  In  the  art  of  carpentry  there  is  no 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  37 

place  in  which  these  irregular-shaped  figures  appear 
as  frequently  as  they  do  in  the  construction  of  roofs, 
and  if  the  carpenter  has  no  accurate  methods  for 
computing  their  areas  then  he  has  to  make  a  guess, 
which  is  the  course  taken  by  many  who  have  nevei 
seen  a  proper  application  of  geometry  to  the  surface 
measurement  of  roofs.  Roof  surfaces  have  to  be 
estimated  in  order  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  ma- 
terial required  to  cover  them,  as  the  sheeting,  shin- 
gles, slate,  tin,  copper,  iron,  &c.,  or  whatever  may  be 
used  for  the  roof  covering.  In  the  illustrations  and 
examples  given  there  might  have  been  presented 
many  rules  for  finding  the  length  of  certain  sides  of 
a  figure,  by  having  the  lengths  of  one  or  more  of  the 
other  sides,  but  they  would  be  merely  mathematical 
problems,  which  in  most  cases  could  be  solved  only 
by  square  root.  As  many  carpenters,  are  not  con- 
versant with  square  root  it  has  been  deemed  best  to 
avoid  its  use  as  much  as  possible  in  this  work,  and 
especially  in  places  where  it  is  not  needed.  It  must 
be  generally  conceded  in  taking  roof  measurements, 
that  if  a  carpenter  can  measure  one  distance  he  can 
measure  the  roof  to  find  any  distance  he  may  desire 
to  know.  Therefore  the  illustrations  given  have  been 
more  to  show  how  to  measure  roofs  to  obtain  the 
proper  dimensions  for  computing  their  areas  than  as 
geometrical  problems  and  methods  of  construction. 
The  author  has  considered  the  subject  of  roof  meas- 
urement worthy  a  place  by  itself  in  estimating,  and 
the  subject  of  roof  framing  will  be  taken  up,  thor- 
oughly illustrated  and  described  in  another  part  of 
this  work. 


ESTIMATING  LABOR   FOR  CARPENTRY  WORK. 

It  is.  generally  claimed  that  the  question  of 
labor  is  the  most  difficult  and  uncertain  the  car- 
penter is  called  upon  to  solve.  Material  can  often 
be  figured  very  closely,  but  just  how  long  it 
will  take  to  work  up  a  lot  of  material  and  place  it  in 
position  in  a  building  can  not  be  so  easily  de- 
termined. The  cost  of  labor  depends  upon  the  time 
required  to  perform  a  certain  amount  of  it.  All 
men  do  not  work  alike  ;  some  will  do  easily  one- 
third  more  than  others — hence  the  time  required  to 
perform  a  certain  amount  of  labor  depends  largely 
upon  the  ability  of  the  men  employed,  the  advantages 
they  take  in  doing  work  and  the  skill  of  the  foreman 
in  the  management  as  it  progresses  day  by  day.  It 
is  an  easy  matter  to  find  four  men  who  will  do  as 
much  in  a  day  as  five  others,  and  to  illustrate  the 
surprising  result  of  the  difference  in  the  ability  of 
men  to  perform  labor,  I  will  give  a  practical  ex- 
ample. 

Suppose  two  contractors,  A  and  B,  each  have  a  job 
of  work  exactly  the  same.  A  takes  his  job  for  $900 
and  B  his  for  $800.  Each  pays  wages  at  the  rate 
of  $2.50  per  day,  and  each  employs  five  men  ;  but 
four  of  B's  men  are  equal  to  five  of  A's  and  it  takes 
60  days  to  complete  his  job.  Which  will  make  the 
most  money,  and  how  much  ?  The  solution  of  this 
problem  is  as  follows  :  If  A  employs  five  men  at 
$2.50  per  day  for  60  days,  the  labor  will  cost  him 
$750  ;  as  he  took  his  job  for  $900,  his  profit  is  $150. 
Now  if  four  of  B's  men  are  equal  to  five  of  A's,  B  will 


THE   BUILDERS*   GUIDE.  39 

complete  his  job  in  one-fifth  less  time  than  A,  which 
will  be  48  days.  Now,  if  B  employs  five  men  at  $2.50 
per  day  for  48  days,  the  labor  will  cost  him  $600,  and, 
as  he  took  his  job  for  $800,  his  profit  is  $200.  Thus  we 
can  see  how  one  man  can  underbid  his  competitor 
$100  on  $900  worth  of  work  and  still  make  the  most 
money.  Again,  suppose  it  required  B  52  days  to 
complete  his  job  ;  even  then  he  could  bid  $100  lower 
than  A  and  still  make  as  much  money.  The  above 
example  shows  at  least  one  chance  for  the  surprising 
difference  in  builders'  estimates  on  the  same  work. 
It  also  shows  how  the  difference  in  the  ability  of  the 
workmen  employed  and  the  management  of  the  work 
can  make  a  vast  difference  in  the  cost  of  a  building. 
Under  such  circumstances  how  can  a  contractor 
make  estimates  upon  which  he  can  rely  ? 

In  all  kinds  of  work  there  must  be  an  average, 
and  this  average  is  what  is  wanted  as  a  standard  in 
estimating.  If  labor  cannot  be  estimated  from  what 
is  known  to  be  an  average  day's  work,  then  we 
naturally  conclude  it  must  be  estimated  by  com- 
parison or  guessed  at.  The  best  way  for  a  contractor 
to  obtain  facts  and  figures  that  he  can  rely  upon  in 
estimating  is  to  keep  a  record  of  all  the  work  he  does. 
It  will  not  do  to  trust  to  memory,  for  in  a  few  months 
or  a  year  he  will  not  know  whether  such  and  such 
work  cost  $42  or  $54,  or  what  it  cost.  If  he  would 
profit  by  experience  he  will  keep  a  record  of  the  cost 
of  his  work,  so  that  he  can  refer  to  it  at  a  moment's 
notice.  To  keep  a  record  that  will  give  the  best 
and  most  reliable  facts  and  figures  prepare  a  list  of 
all  kinds  of  work,  having  two  sets  of  money  columns, 
one  for  estimated  cost  and  one  for  actual  cost. 


40  THE    BUILDERS*    GUIDE. 

When  estimating  a  job  put  down  the  estimated  cost, 
and  when  the  actual  cost  is  found  from  experience  in 
doing  the  work  put  it  down,  and  keep  each  particu- 
lar kind  of  work  or  portions  of  a  job  separate  from 
the  entire  job.  By  so  doing  one  will  soon  be  able  to 
see  where  he  has  estimated  too  high  or  too  low,  and 
will  have  facts  and  figures  which  will  enable  him  to 
make  a  proper  average.  Some  parts  of  a  building 
are  easily  estimated  by  the  "  square,"  which  contains 
100  square  feet.  Some  parts  are  easily  estimated  by 
the  lineal  foot,  while  other  portions  are  best  esti- 
mated by  the  piece.  Keep  a  record  of  the  time 
required  by  different  men  in  doing  work  by  the 
square,  lineal  foot  or  piece.  In  this  way  one  will 
find  the  average  day's  work  from  actual  experience, 
which  is  the  only  plan  that  can  be  followed  with 
success. 

When  it  is  known  what  it  is  worth  to  do  work  by 
the  square,  lineal  foot  or  piece,  any  person  of  ordi- 
nary skill  in  figuring  ought  to  be  capable  of  making 
an  estimate  reasonably  accurate.  As  I  have  said  be- 
fore, the  average  day's  work  of  all  kinds  is  what  is 
wanted  as  a  standard  in  estimating.  Accordingly  I 
have  prepared  a  table  with  the  average  day's  work 
of  each  kind  and  the  average  rates  to  figure  on.  The 
table  is  made  on  a  basis  of  ten  hours  for  a  day's 
work  and  as  near  as  practical  to  average  $3.50  per 
day.  If  an  estimate  is  wanted  for  nine  hours  add 
one-tenth  to  the  price  ;  and  if  for  eight  hours  add 
one-fifth.  The  prices  can  easily  be  made  for  any  rate 
per  hour  or  any  number  of  hours  per  day.  To  those 
who  want  to  test  the  advantage  of  a  table  of  this 
kind  I  would  say,  do  not  take  it  for  granted  that  my 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  41 

rates  and  averages  are  the  best  in  the  world,  or  that 
they  are  just  the  thing  for  a  guide,  but  prepare  a 
similar  list  and  begin  entering  rates  and  averages  as 
they  are  found  from  actual  experience.  Then  one 
will  have  something  that  will  suit  the  locality  in 
which  he  lives,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  in  a 
short  time  he  will  have  something  that  will  be  much 
to  his  advantage  in  estimating.  Let  me  say  how- 
ever, that  the  average  day's  work  as  found  in  the 
table  is  a  reasonable  average,  as  I  have  found  from 
experience,  and  considerable  dependence  can  be 
placed  on  estimates  made  from  it. 

POINTS   ON   ESTIMATING    LABOR. 

While  the  tables  show  the  average  day's  work  with 
the  average  rate  per  square,  per  lineal  foot,  and  per 
piece  for  nearly  all  kinds  of  carpentry  work,  yet  I 


TABLE  OF  PRICES  FOR  ESTIMATING   LABOR  BY  THE  LINEAL 
FOOT. 


Different  kinds  of  work  per  lineal  foot. 

Average 
day's  work. 
No.  of 
feet. 

Rate 
foot. 

Putting  down  base  and  quarter  round 
Putting  on  base  molding  

90 
180 

$0.04 
.02 

Cap  and  molding  for  wainscoting  
Putting  up  cornice        

140 
24 

Making  gutters  in  cornices  

50 

.07 

Putting  up  corner  casings  

70 

.05 

Putting  on  belt  casings  

90 

.04 

think  it  proper  to  show  how  and  why  variations 
should  sometimes  be  made,  and  that  it  is  necessary 
to  use  some  discriminating  judgment  in  connection 


42 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


with  the  tables  as  regard  the  average  day's  work. 
.Undoubtedly,  many  will  think  the  rates  in  the  table 
too  high,  and  the  averages  too  low,  but  right  here 

TABLE    OF  PRICES    FOR    ESTIMATING    LABOR    BY    THE 
SQUARE. 


Different  kinds  of  work  per  square. 

Average 
day's  work. 
No.  of 
squares. 

Rate 
per 
square. 

Framing  floors  in  houses  . 

5 

$0  70 

Framing  floors  in  barns 

4 

90 

Framing  outside  walls  of  housBS    
Framing  outside  walls  of  barns  
Framing  and  setting  partitions 

6 
4 
6 

.60 
.90 
60 

Framing  ceilings  

7 

.50 

Framing  plain  roofs  

6 

60 

Framing  hip  and  valley  roofs  

3 

1  20 

Sheeting  sides  with  common  sheeting.  . 
Sheeting  sides  with  8-inch  shiplap  
Sheeting  sides  with  6-inch  flooring  
Sheeting  roofs  with  common  sheeting.  . 
Sheeting  roofs  with  8-inch  shiplap  
Shingling  with  common  shingles  .  . 

8 
7 
6 
8 
6 
21A 

.45 
.50 
.60 
.45 
.60 
1.40 

Shingling  with  dimension  shingles  
Siding  with  6-inch  beveled  siding  
If  papered  before  siding  

/2 
3 
2K 

.75 
.20 
.40 

Siding  with  6-inch  cove  siding  

2^ 

.40 

If  papered  before  siding  

2 

.75 

Siding  with  12-inch  barn  boards  

6 

.60 

Siding  with  12-inch  boards  and  battened 
Laying  floor  with  6-inch  pine  flooring. 
Laying  floor  with  4-inch  pine  flooring. 
Laying  floor  with  6-inch  hardwood.  .  . 
Laying  floor  with  4  -inch  hardwood.  .  . 
Laying  floor  which  has  to  be  surfaced  . 
Ceiling  with  6-inch  pine  ceiling  

4 
6 

f 

2 

4 

.90 
.60 
.80 
.70 
.90 
1.75 
.90 

Ceiling  with  4-inch  pine  ceiling  
Plain  wainscoting  without  cap  

3 
4 

1.20 
.90 

let  me  say  that  no  contractor  should  make  an  esti- 
mate based  on  these  so-called  big  day's  work.  If  he 
does  he  is  almost  sure  to  find  he  is  mistaken.  An 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


43 


estimate  should  always  be  made  from  a  reasonable 
average,  and  then  if  the  contractor  is  able  to  average 
as  well  as  he  estimates,  and  perhaps  a  little  better, 
he  feels  that  he  is  making  a  success  of  his  business 


TABLE  OF  PRICES  FOR  ESTIMATING  LABOR  BY  THE  PIECE. 


Different  kinds  of  work  per  piece. 


Average 

day's  work. 

No.  of 

pieces. 


Rate 

per 

piece. 


Making  plain  window  frames 

Making  plain  door  frames 4 

Making  transom  frames 

Setting  frames  in  position  in  building.  14 

Hanging  blinds  before  frames  are  set . .  15 

Hanging  blinds  after  frames  are  set. ...  10 

Hanging  inside  blinds 5 

Fitting  sash  in  frames 

Hanging  sash  with  weights 14 

Hanging  transoms 

Casing  windows 

Casing  doors,  one  side 16 

Casing  doors,  both  sides 

Casing  transom  frames,  one  side 12 

Casing  transom  frames,  both  sides 6 

Cutting  in  window  stops 35 

Cutting  in  door  stops 30 

Band  molding  frames,  one  side 

Band  molding  frames,  two  sides 12 

Putting  down  thresholds 

Fitting  common  doors 20 

Hanging  common  doors 20 

Putting  on  rim  knob  locks 35 

Putting  on  mortice  knob  locks 14 


$1.20 

.90 

1.20 

.25 


.70 
.20 
.25 
.35 
.30 
.22 
.44 
.30 
.60 
.10 
.12 
.15 
.30 
.15 
.18 
.18 
.10 
.25 


and  is  satisfied.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  estimate 
is  made  from  too  large  an  average,  the  big  day's 
work  which  was  counted  on  may  not  be  accomplished 
and  many  a  time,  what  seemed  like  time  enough, 


44  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

would  prove  insufficient.  Then  there  would  be  dis- 
satisfaction and  disappointment.  I  will  now  return 
to  the  tables  and  show  how  to  make  some  short  cuts 
by  combinations.  In  the  tables  every  item  is  given 
separately  for  convenience  in  estimating  any  particu- 
lar portion  of  a  job,  but  to  facilitate  the  work  of 
estimating  an  entire  job,  many  of  the  different  items 
maybe  combined  and  regarded  as  one.  For  example, 
it  is  worth — 

For  framing  and  placing  joists  in  position  per 

square ...$0.70  to  $0.90 

Laying  floor  per  square 60  to   1.75 


Total  $1.30  to  $2.65 

Thus  the  framing  and  laying  of  floors  may  be 
estimated  at  once  if  desired.  The  bridging  of  joists 
should  be  estimated  at  3  to  5  cents  per  joist  for  each 
row  of  bridging. 

DOUBLE  FLOORS. 

Where  one  floor  is  laid  over  another  it  is  worth 
one-fourth  more  to  lay  the  second  floor  than  the  first. 
Thus  if  it  is  worth  60  cents  per  square  to  lay  the  first 
floor,  it  is  worth  75  cents  per  square  to  lay  the  second, 
or  $1.35  per  square  for  both.  Framing  floors  for 
brick  buildings  may  be  estimated  at  the  same  rate  as 
for  frame,  for,  while  there  is  usually  less  framing, 
more  time  is  required  to  place  joists  in  position  and 
level  up,  thus  making  the  labor  about  equal.  As  a 
building  progresses  in  hight  more  time  is  required  to 
place  joists  in  position,  hence  10  per  cent,  should  be 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


added  to  each  succeeding  story  after  the  first.     The 
outside  walls  of  a  house  may  be  estimated  as  follows: 

To  frame  and  raise,  per  square    .............     $0.60  to  $0.90 

Sheeting  the  same,  per  square  .................  45  to      .60 

Siding  the  same,  per  square  ..................      1.20  to    1.75 

Total  ................................  ...    $2.25  to  $3.25 

Thus   the  outside  walls  of  a  house  may  be   esti- 
mated at  $2.25  to  $3.25  per  square. 

Framing  should  include  raising  and  sneering  ; 
and  siding  should  be  estimated  sufficiently  high  to 
cover  the  cost  of  building  scaffolds.  It  is  worth  one- 
third  more  to  sheet  a  building  inside  than  outside, 
and  twice  as  much  to  sheet  it  diagonally.  The  siding 
of  a  house  is  subject  to  large  variations,  as  a  man  can 
often  side  three  or  four  times  faster  on  some  build- 
ings than  he  can  on  others.  The  amount  an  average 
workman  will  put  on  in  a  day  depends  upon  the  num- 
ber, size  and  shape  of  the  openings  around  which  he 
has  to  side,  the  hight  of  the  building  and  the  amount 
of  scaffolding  he  has  to  do.  Difficult  places  to  side 
can  be  readily  seen  on  a  building  or  even  from  a  plan, 
and  the  siding  should  be  estimated  sufficiently  high 
to  cover  the  cost.  I  have  known  men  to  put  on  siding 
for  60  cents  per  square,  but  not  one  man  in  ten  can 
make  anything  like  respectable  wages  at  this  price, 
even  on  the  plainest  kind  of  work  and  under  the  most 
favorable  circumstances.  Some  men  may  be  able  to 
put  on  four  squares  a  day  and  perhaps  a  little  more 
than  that,  but  the  large  majority  will  fall  short  of 
four,  and  some  will  not  put  on  more  than  two  squares 
a  day.  The  average  is  therefore  not  more  than  three 
squares  per  day,  which  would  amount  to  $1.80  per 


46  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

day,  with  chances  of  not  doing  so  well.  In  estimat- 
ing siding  or  sheeting  by  the  square  no  deduction  is 
made  for  openings.  Roofs  may  be  estimated  as  fol- 
lows :  "> 

For  framing,  per  square $0.60  to  $1.20 

For  sheeting,  per  square 45  to     .70 

For  shingling,  per  square ;  1.25  to    1.75 

Total $2.30  to  $3.65 

Thus  to  frame,  sheet  and  shingle  a  roof  it  is  worth 
from  $2.30  to  $3.65  per  square.  Each  hip  or  valley 
in  a  roof  is  worth  from  75  cents  to  $1.50  for 
sheeting  and  shingling.  Hips  and  valleys  cannot  be 
shingled  or  sheeted  with  as  much  speed  as  plain  roofs, 
and  are  seldom  estimated  high  enough.  The  shin- 
gling of  belt  courses  and  gables  with  dimension  shin- 
gles is  worth  from  $2  to  $3.50  per  square,  according 
to  the  windows  and  difficult  places  with  which  the 
workman  has  to  contend. 

CORNICES. 

A  cornice  is  composed  of  several  members,  the 
most  common  kind  containing  five,  which  are  known 
respectively  as  planceer,  fascia,  frieze,  crown  and  bed 
moldings.  It  may  be  estimated  at  15  cents  per  lineal 
foot.  If  a  cornice  has  more  than  five  members  add 
2  to  3  cents  per  lineal  foot  for  each  member.  If 
there  are  less  than  five  members  a  similar  deduction 
may  be  made.  If  a  cornice  has  brackets  it  will  be 
necessary  to  add  a  sufficient  amount  to  cover  the  cost 
of  putting  them  up. 

GUTTERS. 

These  are  variously  formed  on  roofs  and  in  cornices 
and  are  worth  from  4  to  10  cents  per  lineal  foot.  A 


THE;  BUILDERS    GUIDE. 


47 


standing  gutter  on  a  roof  is  worth  from  4  to  6  cents 
per  foot.  A  flush  gutter  or  one  sunk  in  a  roof  or 
cornice  is  worth  from  6  to  10  cents  per  foot.  Fig.  46 
shows  a  cornice  with  a  standing  gutter  on  the  roof. 
The  gutter  is  usually  placed  on  the  second  or  third 
course  of  shingles,  and  consists  of  one  piece  standing 
square  with  the  roof,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines, 
and  is  usually  supported  by  small  brackets  on  the 


STUDDING 


Fig.  48.— Cornice  with  Standing  Gutter. 

under  side  with  end  pieces  as  shown.  G  is  the 
gutter,  C  the  crown  tnolding,  Fa  the  fascia,  P  the 
planceer,  B  the  bed  molding,  F  the  frieze  and  S  the 
sheeting.  Fig.  47  shows  a  gutter  formed  in  the  cor- 
nice with  four  pieces — namely,  a  bottom,  two  sides 
and  a  fillet,  all  as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines.  G  is 
the  gutter,  FL  the  fillet,  C  the  crown  mold,  Fa  the 


48 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


fascia,  P  the  planceer,  B  the  bed  molding,  F  the 
frieze  and  S  the  sheeting.  To  make  this  kind  of  a 
gutter  is  worth  10  cents  per  lineal  foot. 

PORCHES. 

Sometimes  porches  may  be  estimated  by  the  lineal 
foot,  at  from  $2  to  $4  per  foot.     This,  however,  is  not 


Fig.  47.— Gutter  Formed  in  the  Cornice. 

the  best  method,  its  principal  advantage  being  its 
simplicity  and  ease.  The  most  common  kind  of 
porches,  with  which  almost  every  one  becomes  famil- 
iar, may  be  estimated  as  above  with  generally  satis- 
factory results.  The  best  and  most  accurate  way, 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


however,  is  to  estimate  the  framework,  flooring, 
ceiling  and  roofing  by  the  square  ;  the  cornice,  gut- 
ters and  latticework  by  the  foot,  and  the  steps,  col- 
umns, brackets  and  ornamental  work  by  the  piece. 
After  summing  up  the  various  parts  the  result  may  be 
taken  as  the  most  reliable  estimate. 

ESTIMATING   WINDOW    FRAMES. 

The  various  parts  of  the  work  necessary  to  com- 
plete a  window  frame  in  a  building  may  be  put  down 
as  follows  : 
Making  frame  ........................................  $1.25 

Hanging  blinds  ..........................................  25 

Setting  frame  in  building  ................................  25 

Fitting  sash  .............................................  20 

Hanging  sash  with  weights  .............................  20 

Casing  window.  ........................................  30 

Band  molding  frame  ....................................  12 

Cutting  in  stops  ........................  .................  09 

Total  ............................................  $2.66 

Thus  we  see  that  plain  window  frames  complete 
in  a  building,  may  be  estimated  at  $2.66  each.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  a  fine  hardwood  finish  is 
often  worth  twice  or  three  times  as  much  as  a  com- 
mon soft  wood  finish,  and  that  large  transom  frames, 
twin  windows,  &c.,  finished  in  hardwood  may  be 
worth  as  high  as  $20. 

DOOR    FRAMES. 

The  different  parts  of  work  required  to  complete 
a  doorframe  may  be  estimated  as  follows  : 


50  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

Making  frame $0.90 

Setting  frame  in  building 25 

Casing  frame 44 

Band  molding  frame 24 

Fitting  and  hanging  door 36 

Putting  on  mortice  lock 25 

Cutting  in  thresholds 15 

Cutting  in  stops 12 

Total  $2.71 

Thus  it  is  worth  $2.71  per  frame  to  make  and 
finish  common  door  frames  complete  in  a  building. 
By  looking  over  the  above  estimate  it  will  be  seen 
that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  work  about  a  door  frame 
besides  fitting  andjianging  the  door  and  putting  on  the 
lock — hence  many  are  apt  to  estimate  too  low.  To 
fit,  hang  and  put  a  lock  on  a  common  door,  using  one 
pair  of  loose  pin  butts  and  a  common  mortice  lock, 
is  worth  60  cents.  The  average  day's  work  is  about  six 
doors  per  day.  If  the  doors  are  large  and  require  three 
butts  each,  it  is  worth  75  cents  per  door.  Front  doors 
having  complicated  locks  with  night  keys,  &c.,  are 
worth  $1.50  to  $2  per  door. 

SLIDING    DOORS. 

The  different  parts  of  work  required  to  put  up 
sliding  doors  are  worth  as  follows  : 

Lining  partitions  and  putting  up  track $7.00 

Setting  jambs 1.00 

Casing  door  frame 1.00 

Band  molding  frame 30 

Hanging  doors  and  putting  on  lock 3.50 

Cutting  in  stops 20 

Total  $13.00 

Thus  sliding  doors  are  worth  $13  per  set,  and  may 
vary  according  to  size  and  style  of  finish  up  to  $30. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  51 

A  single  sliding  door  is  worth  very  nearly  as  much 
as  double  doors.  The  difference  in  the  labor  of  put- 
ting them  up  in  most  cases  would  not  be  over  $2. 

FOLDING    DOORS. 

The  cost  of  labor  for  putting  in  folding  doors  com- 
plete is  from  $3.75  to  $5.50  per  set.  To  fit,  hang  and 
put  on  lock  and  flush  bolts  is  worth  from  $1.75  to 
$3.50  per  set. 

WAINSCOTING. 

Plain  wainscoting  is  worth  about  90  cents  per 
square.  The  cap  should  be  estimated  by  the  foot 
extra,  according  to  style  of  finish.  Paneled  wains- 
coating  is  often  worth  twice  or  three  times  as  much 
as  plain  work. 

SINKS. 

To  finish  a  kitchen  sink  in  the  plainest  style  is 
worth  $2,  and  some  styles  finished  in  hardwood  are 
worth  as  much  as  $10. 

BATHROOMS. 

A  bathroom  having  in  connection  a  wash  bowl 
and  a  water  closet,  finished  in  the  plainest  style,  will 
take  a  good  workman  two  days,  and  is  worth  $7.  An 
inexperienced  hand  in  this  kind  of  work  will  require 
about  three  days  to  complete  the  job.  Some  styles 
of  hardwood  finish  will  require  from  four  to  six  days' 
work  and  are  worth  from  $14  to  $21. 
PANTRIES. 

The  shelving  and  finishing  of  a  pantry  in  the 
plainest  style  is  worth  from  $3  to  $5.  Pantries  with 
flour  chests,  spice  drawers  and  numerous  other 
things,  shelves  inclosed  with  doors,  all  elegantly 
fitted  up,  are  worth  from  $25  to  $40. 


52  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

STAIRS. 

The  cheapest  kind  of  cellar  stairs  are  worth  from 
$3  to  $5,  and  the  plainest  kind  of  box  stairs  from  $8 
to  $12  per  flight.  Plain  open  stairs  with  hand  rail, 
newel  post  and  balusters  are  worth  from  $20  to  $35. 
Stairs  and  staircases  finished  in  hardwood  may  vary 
from  $50  to  $150.  It  is  frequently  worth  from  $ioto 
$20  to  set  the  newel  posts  and  put  up  the  rail  of  some 
of  the  most  elaborate  designs. 

RECAPITULATION". 

In  looking  over  the  items  which  have  been  variously 
combined  and  bringing  them  to  a  minimum,  it  will 
be  seen  on  what  the  carpenter  has  to  figure  and  the 
easiest  way  of  estimating  it. 

Framing  and  laying  floors,  per  square $1.30  @   $2.65 

Framing,  sheeting  and  siding,  per  square 2.25  @     3.25 

Framing  and  setting  partitions,  per  square. ..        .60  @       .90 
Framing,   sheeting    and  shingling  roofs,  per 

square  2.30  @     3.65 

Hips  and  valleys,  each 75  @     1.50 

Shingling  belt  courses  and  gables,  per  square.       2.00  @     3.50 

Cornice,  per  lineal  foot 10  @       .15 

Corner  casings,  per  lineal  foot 04  @       .06 

Gutters,  per  lineal  foot 06  @       .10 

Porches,  per  lineal  foot 2.00  @     4.00 

Window  frames,  complete,  in  building,  each.       2.66  @    20.00 

Door  frames,  complete,  in  building,  each 2.70  @    20.00 

Sliding  doors,  complete,  in  building 13.00  @    30.00 

Folding  doors,  complete,  in  building 3.75  @     5.50 

Wainscoting,  per  square 90  @     2.70 

Wainscoting  cap,  per  lineal  foot 02  @       .05 

Sinks.eacb. 2.00  @    10.00 

Bathrooms,  finished  complete 7.00  @    21.00 

Putting  down  base  in  houses,  per  lineal  foot..        .03  @       .05 

Finishing  pantries 3.00  @    40.00 

Cellar  stairs,  very  common  3.00  @     5.00 

Plainstairs 20.00  @    35.00 

Front  stairs 30.00  @  150.00 


SHORT  CUT   IN    ESTIMATING. 

As  many  of  the  principal  parts  of  construction 
in  common  buildings  are  essentially  the  same,  a 
short  cut  may  be  made  in  figuring  the  bulk  of  the 
rough  work,  which  includes  the  framing,  raising, 
sheeting,  siding,  roofing,  laying  of  floors,  and  setting 
partitions.  Take  the  number  of  cubic  feet  in  the 
building  from  top  of  foundation  to  top  of  ridge  of 
roof  and  multiply  by  the  rate  per  cubic  foot,  which 
is  usually  from  two  to  three  cents.  After  estimating 
the  rough  work  in  this  manner  add  all  the  parts  that 
are  considered  of  a  changeable  character,  such  as  the 
cornice,  gable  trimmings,  porches,  bay  windows,  in- 
side finish,  and  all  parts  not  included  in  the  bulk  of 
the  estimates.  Of  course  one  can  see  that  a  change 
in  price  will  change  the  amount  of  the  estimate,  and 
that  it  is  as  necessary  to  use  discriminating  judg- 
ment in  fixing  rates  for  this  method  as  in  any  other. 

To  successfully  estimate  the  labor  in  a  building 
every  one  must  fix  his  own  rates  from  personal  ex- 
perience in  doing  the  class  of  work  which  he  is  called 
on  to  perform.  Tables,  prices  and  methods  are  good 
in  their  way,  and  many  times  will  give  valuable  aid 
in  estimating,  but  actual  experience  is  far  better. 

The  foregoing  items  include  those  which  come 
under  the  head  of  carpentry.  Of  course  the  con- 
tractor will  have  many  other  items  on  which  to 
figure  if  he  desires  to  estimate  or  contract  for  the 
entire  job. 

The  following  list,  arranged  in  regular  order,  will 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE 


be  found  to  include  the  principal  divisions  of  estimat- 
ing an  entire  job,  and  also  shows  a  good  form  for  an 
estimate  : 

FORM    FOR    AN    ESTIMATE. 


Excavating 

Foundation  walls 
Brick  walls  and  piers. 

Chimneys 

Lumber 

Carpentry  work 

Hardware 

Tin  work 

Galvanized  iron  work. 

Plastering 

Plumbing 

Gas  fitting  

Steam  fitting 

Painting 

Incidental  expenses . . . 


PRINCIPAL    DIVISIONS    IN    ESTIMATING. 

Under  each  division  there  will  always  appear  many 
items  on  which  to  figure,  but  as  contractors  are  sup- 
posed to  be  supplied  with  specifications,  it  is  useless 
to  enumerate  all  the  items  as  they  may  appear  under 
each  head.  The  two  principal  divisions  of  lumber  and 
carpentry  have  been  given  in  full  in  every  detail  of 
the  work.  Under  the  other  divisions  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  mention  a  few  of  the  essential  points 
to  enable  any  one  to  estimate  them  easily  and  accu- 
rately. 

EXCAVATIONS. 

Excavating  for  foundation  walls,  cellars,  cisterns, 
&c.,  is  estimated  by  the  cubic  yard,  which  contains 
27  cubic  feet.  The  rate  per  yard  is  variable  in  dif- 
ferent localities  and  according  to  the  location  of  the 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


grounds   and   the  hardness  of  the  earth   to  be  ex- 
cavated. 

FOUNDATIONS    AND    CHIMNEYS. 

Foundations  are  generally  laid  of  brick  or  stone. 
Brick  are  laid  by  the  thousand,  and  stone  by  the 
perch.  The  rates  and  customs  of  measuring  are 
variable  in  different  localities.  The  following,  how- 
ever, is  the  usual  custom  of  measuring  brick  and 
stone  work.  For  a  foundation  the  outside  measure- 
ment of  the  wall  is  the  one  taken.  To  find  the  num- 
ber of  perches  of  stone  in  walls,  multiply  the  length 
in  feet  by  the  hight  in  feet,  and  that  by  the  thickness 
in  feet,  and  divide  the  product  by  22.  No  allowance 
is  made  for  openings,  unless  they  are  numerous  or  of 
considerable  size. 

EXAMPLE    AND    SOLUTION. 

Take  the  following  example  :  How  many  perches 
of  stone  in  a  wall  48  feet  long,  8  feet  high  and  i  foot 
6  inches  thick  ?  The  solution  to  this  is  :  48  x  8  x 
ii  -*-  22  =  26.18  perches.  A  perch  of  stone  measures 
usually  24.75  cubic  feet,  but  when  built  in  a  wall 
2.75  cubic  feet  are  allowed  for  mortar  and  filling. 
To  find  the  perches  of  masonry  divide  the  cubic  feet 
by  24.75  instead  of  22.  In  estimating  the  masonry 
no  allowance  is  made  for  openings.  A  thousand 
brick  are  about  equal  to  two  perches  of  stone  when 
laid  in  a  wall.  Brick  are  counted  as  follows  : 

For  a  4-inch  wall  7^  bricks  to  the  foot. 

For  an  8-inch  wall  15  bricks  to  the  foot. 
—  For  a  i2-inch  wall  22^  bricks  to  the  foot. 

For  a  i6-inch  wall  30  bricks  to  the  foot. 

In  estimating  for  the  number  of  brick   the  open- 


56  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

ings  may  be  deducted  if  they  are  large  or  numerous. 
In  the  measurement  of  masonry,  however,  no  deduc- 
tion is  made  for  openings.  Seven  hundred  and  fifty 
brick  laid  in  a  wall  are  equal  to  1000  brick,  wall 
count.  The  customary  price  allowed  for  the  labor 
of  laying  brick  is  $2  per  1000,  wall  count. 

A  chimney  of  i^  by  2  brick  makes  a  flue  4x 
8  inches  inside  and  requires  25  bricks  per  foot.  A 
chimney  of  2  by  2  brick  makes  a  flue  8x8  inches 
inside  and  requires  30  bricks  per  foot,  while  a  chim- 
ney of  2  by  z%  brick  makes  a  flue  8  x  12  inside  and 
requires  35  bricks  per  foot.  Chimneys  of  any  size 
may  be  estimated  by  counting  the  number  of  brick 
required  for  one  course  and  allowing  five  courses  to 
the  foot.  A  chimney  breast  for  a  fire  place  is  usu- 
ally of  2  x  7  brick  and  requires  80  to  90  bricks  per 
foot. 

LATHING    AND    PLASTERING. 

Lathing  is  estimated  by  the  square  yard  and  the 
usual  rate  is  3  cents  per  yard.  Fifteen  lath  are 
counted  to  the  yard,  and  6^  pounds  of  threepenny 
nails  per  1000  lath.  Plastering  is  also  estimated  by 
the  square  yard.  The  lathing  and  plastering  are 
usually  estimated  together  at  the  following  rates, 
including  material  and  labor  : 

For  two-coat  work,  18  to  23  cents  per  yard,  and  for 
three-coat  work,  23  to  27  cents.  In  the  measurement 
of  plastering  no  deduction  is  made  for  openings. 

PAINTING. 

When  a  carpenter  has  to  figure  upon  painting  it  is 
better  for  him  to  get  some  reliable  mechanic  who  is 
in  the  business  to  give  figures  on  the  work.  Painter: 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  57 

figure  their  work  by  the  square  yard.  I  have  in- 
quired of  practical  painters  concerning  their  methods 
of  calculation  and  have  failed  to  find  any  uniform 
scale  or  rule  by  which  to  measure  surfaces.  Nearly 
all  master  painters  have  a  basis  of  calculation,  but  the 
accuracy  of  their  estimates  depends  so  much  upon 
personal  judgment  as  to  the  nature  and  extent  of 
variations,  that  their  methods  would  be  useless  to 
persons  of  less  accurate  judgment.  The  methods 
also  vary  according  to  the  nature  of  the  work  and 
the  training  of  the  painter.  No  two  would  measure 
in  the  same  way,  perhaps,  yet  they  might  reach 
nearly  the  same  results.  Although  it  is  true  that 
very  much  depends  upon  the  painter's  judgment,  I 
will  try  to  give  a  few  hints  which  will  be  found  in 
some  cases  entirety  trustworthy  and  in  all  helpful. 
O.ne  way  of  measuring  is  to  obtain  the  number  of 
square  feet  in  the  sides  and  ends  of  a  building  as  if 
they  are  flat  surfaces,  give  a  rough  guess  as  to  the 
dimensions  of  trimming,  &c.,  and  let  it  go  at  that. 
This  plan  may  work  well  for  a  good  guesser,  but  for 
general  use  it  is  not  very  satisfactory.  Another  way 
in  connection  with  wooden  buildings  is  to  measure 
the  length  and  exposed  surface  of  one  strip  of  siding, 
then  count  the  siding  and  multiply  the  dimensions 
of  one  by  the  whole  number  on  the  side  or  end  of 
the  building  ;  the  product  will  be  the  surface  meas- 
ure. This  is  a  better  way,  but  its  accuracy  depends 
upon  a  pretty  thorough  acquaintance  with  compound 
numbers,  as  dimensions  must  be  reduced  to  inches, 
then  back  to  feet  or  yards,  according  to  the  basis  of 
calculation.  Trimmings,  &c.,  are  measured  separately. 
Common  siding  are  put  on  with  one  board  over- 


58  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

lapping  another,  and  the  lapping  edge  of  the  board  is 
raised  from  the  perpendicular,  so  that  it  presents  a  di- 
agonal instead  of  a  flat  surface  ;  and  there  is  also  the 
exposed  edge  of  the  board,  about  ^  inch,  which 
should  be  included  in  the  estimate.  Suppose,  now, 
that  the  exposed  portion  of  a  board  of  siding  is  4 
inches — the  usual  width — and  the  edge  y2  inch.  It 
will  give  the  side  of  a  building  just  12^  per  cent, 
more  surface  than  it  would  possess  if  it  were  per- 
fectly flat.  Hence  one-eighth  added  to  the  dimen- 
sions, obtained  by  multiplying  hight  and  length  to- 
gether, will  give  the  actual  surface  measure  of  com- 
mon siding. 

In  drop  siding,  which  is  frequently  used,  there  is 
an  exposed  edge  of  about  ^  inch,  and  about  ^(  inch 
more  surface  on  the  molded  edge  than  there  would 
be  if  it  were  flat,  thus  making  a  total  gain  over  flat 
surface  of  ^  inch  on  each  piece  of  siding,  or  18^ 
per  cent.,  which  is  very  nearly  equal  to  one-fifth. 
Hence  one-fifth  should  be  added  to  the  dimensions 
in  square  feet  of  a  building  to  obtain  the  surface 
measurement  for  drop  siding. 

In  measuring  the  gable  ends  of  ordinary  buildings 
the  dimensions  should  be  one-half  less  than  actual 
square  measure.  For  example,  if  a  building  is  20 
feet  wide,  and  is  10  feet  from  the  level  of  the  frame 
plates  to  the  point  of  the  roof,  multiply  half  the 
width,  10  feet,  by  the  hight,  10  feet,  and  we  have  100 
feet  surface  of  the  gable  end,  to  which  should  be 
added  the  percentages  for  the  edges  of  the  siding 
boards,  &c.  No  deduction  is  usually  made  for  open- 
ings. Cornice  and  trimmings  should  be  measured 
separately.  If  there  are  panels,  beads  and  other  pro- 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  50 

jecting  and  receding  features,  brackets,  &c.,  carefully 
measure  one  of  each,  count  the  number  on  the  build- 
ing and  multiply  by  that  number;  the  product  will 
be  the  total  surface.  Open  brackets  on  cornices  and 
scroll  and  lattice  work  on  verandas  should  be  meas- 
ured solid,  as  the  edges  fully  make  up  for  open 
spaces. 

The  utter  lack  of  uniformity  in  house  trimmings 
compels  more  or  less  reliance  upon  the  judgment  of 
the  painter  in  measuring  them.  I  can  suggest  no 
rule  for  measuring  which  can  be  used  with  satisfac- 
tory results  in  all  cases.  What  would  be  admirably 
suited  to  one  would  be  wholly  unadapted  to  another, 
simply  because  the  architectural  features  are  unlike. 
Here  there  is  no  alternative  but  to  exercise  judg- 
ment in  considering  these  important  features. 

In  calculating  the  quantity  of  paint  required  upon 
the  basis  of  surface  measurement,  from  12  to  40  per 
cent,  should  be  allowed  for  trimmings,  &c.,  accord- 
ing to  their  size  and  shape.  For  plain  work  12  to 
20  par  cent,  will  be  found  a  fair  average.  This  de- 
pends, however,  upon  the  number  of  doors  and  win- 
dows, style  of  frames,  &c.  On  Queen  Anne  struct- 
ures, which  are  painted  with  two  or  three  body 
colors  and  are  burdened  with  numerous  and  elabor- 
ate trimmings,  calculations  must  be  made  of  the 
portions  of  the  buildings  to  which  the  different  body 
colors  are  to  be  applied  either  by  divisions  of  total 
measurement  or  by  separate  measurements  and  the 
trimmings  considered  separately.  As  outside  paint- 
ing on  buildings  usually  consists  of  two  coats  over  a 
previously  painted  surface,  or  if  on  a  surface  never 
before  painted,  preceded  by  a  primary  coat,  it  is  cus- 
tomary to  estimate  the  quantity  of  paint  required  for 


60     ,  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

two  coats.  Surfaces  are  so  variable  in  condition  that 
no  rule  can  be  given  which  will  be  found  applicable  to 
all  cases.  The  quantity  of  paint  required  for  two-coat 
work  varies  from  3^  to  5  gallons  per  100  square 
yards,  and  I  would  by  all  means  advise  carpenters  to 
obtain  figures  from  experienced  painters  in  this 
particular  line  of  business. 

HARDWARE. 

Estimating  hardware  is  as  much  of  a  necessity 
with  the  carpenter  as  estimating  lumber,  but  it  is  not 
attended  with  as  many  variations  and  difficulties. 
The  number  of  fixtures  for  door  and  window  trim- 
mings, &c.,  may  be  readily  counted  from  the  plans, 
and  it  is  only  through  the  omission  of  some  items 
that  any  serious  mistake  is  likely  to  happen.  A  care- 
ful study  of  the  plans  and  a  well  prepared  list  of 
hardware  items  from  which  to  figure  is  a  guard 
against  mistakes  from  omissions  and  a  guide  to  cor 
rect  estimating. 

LIST  OF  ITEMS  FOR  ESTIMATING  HARDWARE. 

Nails,  various  sizes  (see  table). 

Brads.  Hooks  and  eyes. 

Blind  hinges.  Drawer  pulls. 

Window  bolts.  Mortise  bolts. 

Axle  pulleys.  Flush  bolts. 

Sash  locks.  Registers. 

Sash  cord.  Door  stops. 

Window  weights.  Tin  window  caps. 

Mortise  locks.  Tin  shingles. 

Rim  locks.  Valley  tin. 

Butts,  various  sizes.  Hip  shingles, 

Parlor  door  hangers.  Tin  roofing. 

Wrought  butts.  Conductors. 

Strap  hinges.  Screws. 

Transom  lifters.  Sandpaper. 

Cupboard  catches.  Wardrobe  hooks 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  61 

On  small  jobs  old  contractors  who  have  learned  to 
judge  from  experience  usually  arrive  at  the  quanti- 
ties of  nails  by  guessing.  The  following  table,  how- 
ever, may  be  found  available  to  many  in  estimating 
nails  for  various  purposes.  As  wire  nails  are  coming 
into  general  use,  and  are  already  extensively  em- 
ployed, the  basis  of  estimating  has  been  made  on  the 
number  of  wire  nails  to  the  pound.  If  cut  nails  are 
used  add  one-third  to  the  amount : 

TABLE  FOR  ESTIMATING  NAILS. 

1000  shingles  require  3*£  pounds  4d  nails. 

1000  lath  require  6%  pounds  3d  nails. 

1000  feet  of  beveled  siding  requires  18  pounds  6d  nails. 

1000  feet  of  sheeting  requires  20  pounds  8d  nails. 

1000  feet  of  sheeting  requires  25  pounds  lOd  nails. 

1000  feet  of  flooring  requires  30  pounds  8d  nails. 

1000  feet  of  flooring  requires  35  pounds  lOd  nails. 

1000  feet  of  studding  requires  14  pounds  lOd  nails. 

1000  feet  of  studding  requires  10  pounds  20d  nails. 

1000  feet  of  furring  1x2  requires  10  pounds  lOd  nails. 

1000  feet  of  %  finish  requires  30  pounds  of  8d  nails. 

1000  feet  of  1%  finish  requires  40  pounds  lOd  finish  nails. 

The  following  table  shows  the  name,  length  and 
number  of  nails  to  the  pound  of  the  different  sizes  : 

NUMBER  OF  NAILS  TO  THE  POUND. 

No.  to  a 
Name.  Length.  pound. 

3dfine 1     inch 1150 

3d  common 1^  inch 720 

4d  common 1%  inch 432 

5d  common 1%  to  1^  inch 352 

6d  finish 2     inch 350 

6d  common 2      inch 252 

7d  common 2%  inch 192 

8d  finish 2%  inch  190 


62  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

No.  to  a 
Kame.                                      Length.                                pound. 

8d  common 2^  inch 132 

9d  common 2%  inch 110 

lOd  finish 3     inch 137 

lOd  common 3     inch 87 

12d  common 3J^  inch 66 

20d  common 3%  inch 35 

30d  common 4     inch 27 

40d  common 4^  inch 21 

50d  common 5^  inch 15 

60d  common 6     inch 12 

70d  common 7     inch 9 

FORM    OF    CONTRACT. 

Articles  of  Agreement,   made  on  this 

day  of 

,  A.  D.   18 ,  by  and  between 

,  party  of  the  first  part 

and ,  party  of  the 

second  part  :  Wi'nesseth,  That  for  and  in  considera- 
tion of  the  money  hereinafter  stipulated  to  be  paid 
to  the  party  of  the  first  part  by  the  party  of  the 
second  part,  the  party  of  the  first  part  has,  and  by 
these  conditions  does  hereby  agree  to  furnish  all 
labor  and  material  of  every  kind  and  to  build  and 

complete  on  or  by  the 

on  the  premises  of  the  party  of  the 

second  part,  situated  in 

a  residence  as  shown  upon  the  drawings  and  set 
forth  in  the  specifications.  Said  drawings  and  speci- 
fications being  verified  by  the  signatures  of  the  parties 
are  taken  as  a  part  of  this  contract.  And  the  party 
of  the  first  part  agrees  that  all  material  furnished, 
or  workmanship  employed,  shall  be  of  the  best  char- 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


acter  and  quality,  as  mentioned  in  the  said  specifica- 
tions. The  party  of  the  first  part  further  agrees  that 
he  will  complete,  in  accordance  with  the  plans  and 
specifications,  to  the  full  and  entire  satisfaction  of 
the  party  of  the  second  part,  all  the  work  that  is  to 
be  done  by  the  .................................. 

In  consideration  of  which  the  party  of  the  second 
part  agrees  to  pay  to  the  party  of  the  first  part  the 
sum  of  $  ..........  as  follows  : 

When  the  foundations  are  completed  ....   $  ........ 

When  the  entire  building  is  under  roof.  .   $  ........ 

When  the  entire  building  is  plastered.  ...   $  ........ 

When  the  entire  building  is  completed..  .  $  ........ 

In    Witness   Whereof,  the  parties  hereto  have    affixed 
their  signatures  : 


Witness  ; 


[L.S.] 


PRACTICAL  METHODS  OF  CONSTRUCTION. 


As  most  carpenters  are  familiar  with  the  usual 
methods  of  construction  in  the  line  of  carpentry,  I 
will  only  mention  a  few  points  on  this  subject,  which 
seem  to  me  to  be  more  or  less  neglected. 

MAKING    CORNERS. 

It    is   customary,  nowadays,    to  make  the  outside 
corners  of  many  buildings  by  simply  doubling  and 
spiking  two  studding   together,  as  shown  by  section 
in   Fig.   48.     By  this  method   there  is 
nothing  to  receive  the   lath  from  one 
side,  and  as  soon  as  the  lathers  begin 
work,    the    carpenter   is    called    upon 
either  to  put  in    another  studding  or 

the  lather  Puts  in  anXthing  he  can  find 
to  which  to  nail  the  lath.  In  many 
instances  it  is  nothing  more  than  a  double  thick- 
ness of  lath  nailed  up  and  down  the  corner.  This 
does  not  make  a  solid  corner, 
and  as  a  consequence  the 
plastering  soon  cracks,  even 
before  the  carpenter  is 
through  finishing.  It  is  al- 
most impossible  to  put  down 

,  Fig.  49.- Section  of  a  Corner, 

the  base  in  a  house  construct-  indicating  a  Better  Method 
ed  with  such  corners  without 
cracking  them,  simply  be- 
cause they  are  not  solid.  Fig.  49  shows  a  section  of  a 
corner  which  is  a  much  better  method  of  construc- 
tion, and  one  which  makes  a  solid  corner.  The 

64 


of  Construction  than  shown 
in  Previous  Figure. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  65 


corner  is  made  of  three  studding,  A,  B,  C,  spiked 
together  as  shown.  D  is  an  open  space  between 
A  and  B,  which  may  be  filled  in  with  blocks. 
Corners  constructed  in  this  way  make  solid  nail- 
ing for  the  lath  and  base  from  both  sides.  Figs. 
50  and  51  show  two  forms  for  making  solid  cor- 
ners for  partition  angles  by  using  three  studding. 


U  H 


n 


Fig  50.    Method  of  Making  Fig.  51. -Another  Method 

SoUd  Corners  for  Parti-  of    Making    Solid    Cor- 

tion  Angle.  ners. 

If  it  is  desired  to  save  studding  aboard  can  be  nailed 
to  the  back  of  studding  C,  which  will  often  an- 
swer the  purpose.  It  is  a  very  common  thing  for 

carpenters  in  set- 
ting partitions  to 
place  the  studding 
joining  another 
partition  half  an 
inch  away  from  it, 
so  that  the  lather 

Fig.  «.-8howtagJ»pro^r  Manner  of  Run-    ^    ^   ^    ^ 

through    back     of 

the  partition  studding,  as  shown  in  Fig.  52.  This 
does  not  make  a  solid  corner  and  is  a  very  poor 
method  of  construction. 

SPACING    STUDDING. 

As  the  second  floor  joists  in  buildings  usually  rest 
on  a  ribbon  board    framed    into   the   studding,  it  is 


66 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


necessary  that  the  studding  on  both  sides  of  the  build- 
ing on  which  the  joists  have  their  bearing  should  be 
regularly  spaced.  Many  are  in  the  habit  of  laying 
off  the  openings  and  spacing  the  studding  to  conform 
thereto.  This  method  causes  great  irregularity  of 
spacing,  making  some  wide  and  some  narrow  spaces, 
which  either  bring  the  joists  overhead  out  of  position 


LJUJJJ 


J 


_J 


JJ 


Fig.  53.— Showing  Proper  Method  of  Spacing  Studding. 

or  leaves  them  standing  alone  on  the  ribbon  without 
any  means  of  being  properly  fastened. 

Studding  should  be  spaced  regardless  of  the  open- 
ings, after  which  the  openings  may  be  laid  out  and 
the  necessary  studding  may  be  cut  and  headers  put 
in,  as  shown  in  Fig.  53.  This  method  leaves  the 
studding  all  regularly  spaced,  and  the  joists  will  all 
nail  to  the  side  of  a  studding  and  come  in  the  proper 
order.  Now,  if  the  studding  are  set  to  conform  to 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


the  openings,  as  shown  in  Fig.  54,  it  breaks  up  the 
regular  order  of  spacing,  leaving  some  spaces  wide 
and  some  narrow.  It  will  also  be  noticed  that  we 
have  two  more  studding  spaced  on  the  sill  and  plate 
than  in  Fig.  53.  It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  if  the 
joists  are  regularly  spaced  many  of  them  will  stand 
alone  on  the  ribbon  board,  with  no  place  to  properly 


JL 

1 

JL 

1 

J 

J 

L 

1 

1 

J 

= 

J 

— 



n~~ 

~ 

Fig.  54.— Showing  Studding  Set  to  Conform  to  Openings 

fasten  them,  as  shown.  If  they  are  placed  over  to 
the  side  of  the  studding,  as  they  frequently  are,  then 
they  are  thrown  off  their  centers  and  the  spacing  is 
wrong. 

CORNER    BLOCKS. 

Every  workman  has  experienced  more  or  less  diffi- 
culty in  nailing  up  corner  blocks  in' casing  doors  and 
windows.  The  trouble  all  comes  from  the  want  of  a 
solid  background  on  which  to  nail  the  blocks.  Very 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


often  the  plastering  is  not  finished  level  and  true 
with  the  jambs.  All  trouble  with  corner  blocks  may 
be  avoided  by  taking  a  common  board  of  the  proper 
thickness,  1^2  inches  narrower  than  the  inside  head 
casing,  i^  inches  shorter  than  the  width  of  win- 
dow and  side  casings,  and  nail  it 
tight  down  on  the  head  jamb,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  55.  By  this  method 
the  corner  blocks  will  nail  up 
true  and  solid  without  cracking 
the  plastering.  Care  should  be 
taken  that  the  board  is  not  too 
wide  nor  too  long,  as  the  blocks 
and  head  casing  should  com- 
pletely cover  it  from  view. 

MITERING    AND    COPING    BASE. 

Many  mechanics  have  proba- 
bly experienced  more  or  less  dif- 
ficulty in  mitering  and  coping 
base,  particularly  of  the  hard- 
wood finish  and  molded-edge  pat- 
terns. There  are  two  distinct  kinds  of  joints  to  make 
in  putting  down  base.  The  angles  which  form  the 
four  sides  of  a  room  are  called  internal  angles,  and 
the  joints  should  always  be  coped.  The  projecting 
corners  of  a  chimney,  or  any  corners  projecting  into 
a  room,  are  termed  external  angles,  and  the  joints 
should  always  be  mitered.  To  cope  a  joint  in  putting 
down  base,  cut  and  fit  in  square  the  first  piece.  Cut 
the  piece  which  is  to  be  coped  to  the  other  about 
i^  inches  longer  than  the  actual  length  needed; 
place  it  as  nearly  as  possible  in  position,  and  with  the 


n    n    r 

BOARD 

Fig.   55—  Method  of 
Putting  up  Corner 
Blocks. 

THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  69 

dividers  set  to  about  the  thickness  of  the  base,  scribe 
down  by  the  side  of  the  piece  already  fitted  and 
nailed  in  place;  then  scribe  all  the  parts  which  are 
easy.  Beads  and  molded  surfaces  which  are  difficult  to 
scribe,  prick  with  the  dividers  near  the  center  of 
each  member  ;  cut  the  square  part  of  base  as  usuai, 
but  cut  the  molded  part  on  an  angle  which  will  just 
touch  all  the  points  made  by  the  dividers.  This  will 
give  the  true  line  for  coping.  After  cutting  the  base 
to  the  coping  line,  first  see  that  the  joint  will  fit,  as 
sometimes  a  little  trimming  is  necessary;  then  obtain 
the  proper  length,  cut  off  and  place  the  board  in 
position,  putting  in  last  when  possible  to  do  so  the 
ena  which  is  coped.  By  this  method  a  joint  can  be 
made  very  tight  without  the  annoyance  of  the  other 
end  of  the  board  scraping  into  the  plastering.  Many 
carpenters  use  a  templet  for  obtaining  the  cut  which 
gives  the  coping  line.  It,  however,  is  of  little  use,  as 
it  is  always  made  with  the  supposition  that  all  angles 
are  square  and  true,  which  is  far  from  being  the  case. 
Scribing  and  cutting  as  above  described  is  far  bet- 
ter, as  it  will  make  a  joint  to  fit  any  angle,  and  with 
a  little  practice  a  perfect  fit  will  be  obtained  at  the 
first  cut. 

To  miter  base  around  external  angles,  mark  the 
proper  miter  on  the  square  edge  of  the  base  and 
square  across  on  the  back  side  and  the  square  part 
of  the  face  side.  Cut  from  the  top  edge  of  base, 
starting  on  back  line  and  cutting  on  an  angle  which 
will  just  cut  the  line  on  the  square  part  of  the  face 
side.  A  little  practice  will  convince  any  one  that  a 
templet  for  cutting  base  is  not  really  worth  carrying 
around.  When  properly  basing  a  chimney,  fit  all  the 


70  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

joints  before  nailing,  and  then  clamp  all  the  pieces 
in  their  proper  places  by  nailing  blocks  on  the  floor 
and  driving  in  braces.  One  will  be  surprised  at 
what  a  neat  job  can  be  done  and  how  easy  it  is  to 
do  it.  There  will  not  be  the  usual  difficulty  in  driv- 
ing the  nails,  and  cracked  and  mutilated  chimney 
corners  will  not  bear  evidence  of  a  bad  job  of  basing 
around  them.  The  great  difficulty  of  driving  nails 
i  nto  the  bricks  is  largely  overcome  by  having  ihe  work 
clamped  tightly  against  it. 


BINDING    SLIDING    DOORS. 

I  have  frequently  noticed  that  a  remedy  is  wanted 
for  binding  sliding  doors.  This  question  is  very 
frequently  asked,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for 
not  one  sliding  door  in  ten  put  up  works  in  anything 
like  a  satisfactory  manner.  I  have  had  a  great  deal 
of  experience  with  sliding  doors,  and  am  pretty  well 
acquainted  with  the  common  defects  and  causes  of 
unsatisfactory  working.  I  do  not  wonder  that  a  good 
remedy  is  wanted  for  these  troublesome  doors,  for 
unless  they  work  properly  they  become  a  great 
inconvenience.  The  causes  of  the  unsatisfactory 
working  of  sliding  doors  are  many,  and  a  little  gen- 
eral information  on  the  subject  may  not  come  amiss. 
Nearly  all  the  causes  of  the  imperfect  working  of 
sliding  doors  can  be  traced  directly  to  the  improper 
construction  of  some  part  of  the  work  in  putting  them 
up,  and  in  most  cases  an  ounce  of  prevention  is  worth 
about  4  pounds  of  the  cure.  As  overhead  hangers 
are  almost  exclusively  used  these  are  the  ones  we  will 
take  into  consideration.  First,  it  is  necessary  that  the 
floor  under  sliding-door  partitions  should  be  perfectly 
solid  and  very  nearly  level. 

It  is  a  common  occurrence  for  buildings  to  settle, 
and  if  partitions,  which  often  have  a  great  weight  to 
support,  are  not  provided  with  a  properly  constructed 
foundation,  they  will  settle  enough  to  throw  the  or- 
dinary sliding  door  entirely  out  of  working  order. 
It  will  not  do  to  block  up  under  sliding-door  parti- 
tions with  a  little  chip,  a  piece  of  a  shingle,  a  little 
loose  dirt  under  a  post  in  the  cellar  bottom  or  some 

n 


72  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

fresh  mortar,  as  is  often  practiced.  As  the  increased 
weight  of  the  plastering  and  floors  is  put  upon  the 
partitions  above,  the  floors  begin  to  settle.  I  have 
seen  floors  under  sliding  doors  ^  inch  out  of  level. 
How  can  sliding  doors  work  when  put  up  under  such 
circumstances  ?  If  the  track  was  level,  one  door  would 
be  sure  to  strike  the  floor  as  it  was  rolled  back, 
while  the  other  door  would  rise  almost  \y2  inches 
from  the  floor.  Again,  if  the  track  was  not  level, 
but  placed  parallel  with  the  floor,  then  the  doors 
could  not  be  adjusted  to  hang  plumb  ;  consequently, 
they  would  not  fit  the  jambs,  unless  the  jambs  were 
set  to  fit  the  doors  y±  inch  out  of  plumb. 

Thus  far  we  see  that  the  floor  must  be  perfectly 
solid  and  level,  the  partitions  must  be  set  plumb,  the 
headers  put  in  solid  and  of  sufficient  strength  to 
carry  all  the  weight  placed  upon  them  without  yield- 
ing or  sagging.  We  will  now  turn  our  attention  to 
the  putting  up  of  the  track.  This  should  be  level 
and  straight,  and  it  should  be  straight  sideways  as 
well  as  on  top  where  the  rollers  run.  This  is  a  point 
overlooked  by  many.  They  think  if  the  track  is 
straight  on  top  that  is  all  that  is  necessary,  but  short 
kinks  sideways  in  a  track  will  cause  the  doors  to  run 
crooked — running  away  from  the  stops  on  one  side  of 
the  jamb,  and  crowding  them  on  the  other,  often 
causing  binding.  Again,  most  hangers  require  a 
double  track,  constructed  in  the  following  manner  : 
The  track  is  i  x  i^  inches,  and  screwed  to  the  edge 
of  a  board  ^  x  6  inches.  These  boards  are  then  fast- 
ened to  the  partitions  at  the  proper  hight  for  the  doors, 
and  another  piece  4^  inches  wide,  called  a  spreader, 
is  placed  over  the  top.  The  sketch,  Fig.  56,  gives  a 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


73 


general  idea  of  the  construction  of  the  track  and  box- 
ing. In  the  diagram  it  will  be  noticed  that  the  open- 
ing between  the  tracks  and  between  the  jambs, 
through  which  the  lower  part  of  the  door  hanger 
passes,  is  only  one  inch  wide.  The  hangers  have  small 


SPREADER  i  X  4} 


Fig.  56. — Section  showing  Construction  of  Track  and  Boxing  for 
Sliding-  Doors. 

friction  rollers,  which  run  between  the  two  tracks, 
serving  as  a  guide  for  the  wheels  above,  and  not  leav- 
ing more  than  yi  inch  play  between  the  two  tracks. 
This  }i  inch  is  plenty  of  room  if  the  work  is  properly 
done.  It  is  necessary  that  the  friction  rollers  run 


74  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

close  to  the  track  in  order  that  the  doors  may  run 
true  and  without  crowding  the  door  stops.  But  sup- 
pose the  boxing  is  insecurely  fastened  to  the  stud- 
ding, and  the  dampness  from  the  plastering,  when 
it  is  put  on,  causes  the  two  6-inch  boards  to  cup. 
The  tendency  at  once  is  to  narrow  the  opening  re- 
quired by  the  friction  rollers  of  the  hangers,  thus 
causing  a  binding  of  the  door  hangers  between  the 
two  tracks.  Again,  suppose  the  spreader,  which  is 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  keeping  the  tracks  the  right 
distance  apart,  is  carelessly  put  in  a  little  narrow,  or, 
perhaps,  left  out  entirely,  as  it  is  occasionally  by  some, 
who  consider  it  an  unnecessary  appendage  to  the 
working  of  sliding  doors,  then  there  is  practically 
nothing  to  keep  the  tracks  from  springing  together, 
causing  a  binding  of  the  doors. 

Again,  if  the  ^spreader  is  narrow  or  left  out,  the 
continual  pounding  of  the  lathers  on  the  partition 
walls,  and  the  carpenters  in  finishing,  have  a  tend- 
ency to  drive  the  partitions  a  little  closer  together, 
especially  if  they  are  not  securely  fastened  at  the  top. 
Fully  as  many  binding  sliding  doors  are  caused  by 
the  tracks  springing  together  as  in  any  other  way, 
and  when  from  this  cause,  the  remedy  is  a  difficult 
one  to  apply,  as  the  doors  may  have  to  be  taken 
down  and  the  sides  of  the  track  trimmed  off  with 
very  long-handled,  sharp-edged  tools.  This  cause  of 
binding  is  likely  to  be  overlooked,  as  it  is  the  least 
suspected,  and  comes  very  near  being  an  invisible 
cause.  Again,  we  will  suppose  that  a  building  being 
erected  is  to  have  sliding  doors — that  the  tracks  are 
put  in  level  and  at  the  proper  time.  Now,  after  the 
building  has  been  plastered  and  the  carpenter  comes 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  75 

to  finish  the  sliding  doors,  he  finds  that  the  weight 
of  the  plastering  or  something  has  caused  the  floor 
to  settle  and  the  track  is  out  of  level.  Well,  about 
nine  carpenters  out  of  ten  will  put  the  head-jamb 
level,  which  will  bring  one  end  of  the  jamb  down 
from  the  track  just  as  much  as  the  floor  is  out  of 
level.  The  consequence  is  that  when  the  doors  slide 
back,  one  of  them  will  rub  the  head -jamb  and  quite 
likely  stick  fast.  The  head-jamb  belongs  snug  up  to 
the  bottom  edge  of  the  track,  as  shown  in  Fig.  56, 
and  there  is  where  it  should  be  placed,  even  if  the 
track  is  out  of  level.  To  level  the  head-jamb  when 
the  track  is  not  level  only  makes  matters  worse.  A 
doorway  with  the  head-jamb  slightly  out  of  level 
will  not  be  noticed,  but  a  door  that  will  stick  fast 
will  be  noticed  every  time  it  is  opened.  Of  course  I 
advocate  doing  the  work  correctly  in  the  first  place, 
and  am  now  showing  what  to  do  in  cases  of  emer- 
gency. Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  rabbet  the  head- 
jambs  at  the  lower  portion  of  the  inside  edge,  as 
shown  by  the  dotted  lines  in  Fig.  56.  Again,  some 
workmen  do  not  plow  the  groove  in  the  bottom  edge 
of  the  door  deep  enough  for  the  floor  guide.  It 
might  work  when  the  door  was  first  fitted,  but  a 
little  settling  of  the  track  would  cause  binding  of  the 
door.  This  can  be  easily  remedied  by  letting  the 
floor  guide  into  the  floor,  or  by  taking  the  door  down 
and  plowing  the  groove  deeper.  The  former  is  the 
easiest  and  quickest  and  in  every  way  just  as  good. 
The  binding  of  sliding  doors  is  often  caused  by  the 
door  stops  being  placed  too  close  to  the  doors. 
When  this  is  the  case  a  removal  of  the  stops  and 


'.6  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

placing  them   a  little  farther  away  will   remedy  the 
trouble. 

In  hanging  sliding  doors  it  is  better,  if  possible,  to 
do  so  before  the  jambs  are  set.  Many  times  little 
things  that  would  interfere  with  the  proper  working 
of  the  doors  can  be  easily  remedied  ;  whereas,  if  the 
jambs  were  set,  they  would  be  concealed  from  gen- 
eral view  and  not  discovered  until  they  had  caused 
a  considerable  amount  of  trouble.  Is  there  any  dif- 
ference in  door  hangers?  is  a  question  which  very 
naturally  arises.  In  our  estimation  there  is  consider- 
able difference,  although  any  of  them,  I  think,  would 
give  satisfaction  if  every  part  of  the  work  in  putting 
them  up  was  done  in  a  substantial  manner.  Some 
hangers  have  more  points  of  excellence  than  others, 
but  I  think  the  Prescott  hanger  the  nearest  perfec- 
tion. With  this  hanger  there  is  no  track  and  no 
rollers.  The  doors  hang  suspended  from  the  back 
edge,  the  hangers  being  fastened  to  the  studding 
back  of  the  jambs.  They  are  as  nearly  frictionless 
as  a  door  swinging  on  hinges,  and  there  is  no  binding 
of  doors  from  tracks  and  rollers.  In  fact,  there  is  no 
more  chance  for  the  doors  to  bind  from  settling  par- 
titions than  there  is  with  the  ordinary  swinging  doors 
on  common  hinges.  Of  the  double-track  overhead 
hangers,  I  think  the  Annex  a  very  good  specimen. 
All  parts  of  the  hanger  are  accurately  fitted  and  the 
adjustment  is  as  good  as  could  be  desired.  The 
Standard  door  hanger  is  another  good  specimen,  and 
I  think  sometimes  it  will  allow  doors  to  work  free 
and  easy  under  circumstances  which  other  overhead 
hangers  would  not. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  77 

TO  PREVENT  LEAKS  IN  BAY  WINDOWS. 

It  seems  to  be  a  very  difficult  matter  for  a  car- 
penter to  build  a  bay  window  that  will  not  leak  in  a 
bad  rain  storm.  There  are  comparatively  few  bays 
built  that  do  not  have  a  window  or  a  large  double  win- 
dow directly  over  them,  and  the  leak  is  almost  invari- 
ably down  the  side  of  the  casings  of  these  windows. 
The  bay  window  may  be  well  roofed  and  the  tin 
turned  up  under  the  siding  for  5  or  6  inches,  yet  it 
will  leak,  and  where  the  water  gets  in  will  be  a  mys- 
tery to  a  close  observer.  Water-tight  joints  are  not 
always  made  in  siding,  and  t  sometimes  the  casings 
shrink  from  the  siding  ;  then  the  rain  beats  in  by  the 
side  of  the  casing  of  the  upper  windows  and  runs 
down  behind  the  tin  turned  up  from  the  roof,  thus 
causing  a  leak.  To  prevent  this,  saw  through  the  sheet- 
ing under  the  window  casings  and  to  about  6  inches 
each  side,  slanting  the  same  upward  in  sawing.  Now 
put  a  piece  of  tin  well  into  the  saw  kerf,  and  bend  it 
down  over  the  tin  that  turns  up  from  the  roof  ;  then, 
after  the  siding  is  properly  put  on,  we  have  a  bay 
window  that  is  positively  water  tight.  Care  should 
be  taken  in  siding  and  not  drive  nails  too  near  the 
roof.  It  is  better  to  slant  them  a  little  upward  in 
driving.  In  no  case  should  the  sills  of  the  upper 
windows  come  closer  than  4^  inches  to  the  roof  of 
the  bay  window,  as  it  is  necessary  to  have  room  for 
the  tin  to  insure  a  good  job. 

SHINGLING    HIPS    AND    VALLEYS. 

There  are  several  methods  of  shingling  hips  and 
valleys,  but  as  most  mechanics  are  familiar  with  the 
different  methods,  I  will  briefly  describe  only  a  few 


78  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

of  the  best  and  most  practical  ones.  In  shingling 
hips  both  sides  should  be  shingled  up  at  the  same 
time,  and  on  hip  roofs  of  unequal  pitch  it  is  neces- 
sary to  lay  the  shingles  more  to  the  weather  on  the 
long  side  of  roof  than  on  the  short  side,  in  order  to 
have  the  courses  member  evenly  on  the  hip.  One 
method  frequently  employed  is  to  cut  the  hip  shingles 
so  that  the  straight  edge  of  the  shingles  will  line  with 
the  center  of  the  hip  when  laid,  and  the  grain  of  the 
wood  run  parallel  with  the  hip  instead  of  straight 
up  the  roof,  as  in  the  case  of  common  shingles.  Some 
are  inclined  to  think  this  method  makes  a  nicer  look- 
ing job  than  the  old  way  of  placing  the  sawed  edge 
of  hip  shingle  to  the  hip  line.  As  it  is  customary  to 
use  tin  hip  shingles,  I  think  the  old  way  is  by  far  the 
best,  as  the  water  which  falls  on  the  roof  will  run 
with  the  grain  of  the  wood,  and  not  soak  into  the 
shingles,  as  it  would  running  diagonally  across  the 
grain. 

The  same  is  true  in  shingling  valleys.  Always 
place  the  valley  shingles  with  the  grain  of  the  wood 
running  up  the  roof  the  same  as  the  common  shin- 
gles, then  the  water  running  down  the  roof  to  the 
valley  will  run  with  the  grain  of  the  wood.  Some 
trouble  is  experienced  in  shingling  valleys  straight. 
The  usual  custom  is  to  put  in  a  strip  of  i4-inch  tin 
for  the  valley,  and  strike  two  chalk  lines,  leaving  a 
space  in  the  center  of  the  valley  2  inches  wide  at  the 
top  and  3  inches  at  the  bottom  for  the  valley.  It  is 
a  very  particular  job  to  shingle  to  a  chalk  line  up  a 
valley  and  shingle  it  straight.  Then  again,  the  line 
will  be  rubbed  out  before  the  shingling  is  half  done. 
A  better  way  is  to  stand  a  2  x  4  up  edgewise  in  the 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  79 

valley,  fasten  it  straight  with  a  few  pieces  of  shingles 
for  braces  and  shingle  to  the  2x4,  which  answers  as 
a  straight  edge.  In  this  way  one  will  get  a  respect- 
able looking  valley,  even  when  shingled  by  inexperi- 
enced hands.  I  have  frequently  seen  valleys  which 
some  one  had  tried  to  shingle  to  a  line  that  were  at 
least  2  inches  crooked,  and  between  5  and  6  inches 
wide  in  places,  generally  wider  in  the  middle  than  at 
either  end.  Wide  valleys  should  be  avoided,  as  they 
are  very  liable  to  leak.  In  shingling  a  valley  no 
nails  should  be  driven  through  the  valley  tin  except 
near  the  outer  edge,  as  a  nail  hole  will  frequently 
cause  a  leak  by  water  getting  under  the  shingles. 
The  best  way  to  shingle  a  valley  is  to  use  single 
sheets  of  tin  10  x  14  inches,  under  each  of  the  courses 
of  shingles,  leaving  only  about  >4  inch  of  the  tin  ex- 
posed below  the  butts  of  the  shingles.  Make  a  close 
joint  with  them  in  the  valley,  and  a  good  as 
well  as  neat  looking  job  will  be  the  result  when 
the  work  is  finished.  To  increase  the  durability  of 
the  valley,  paint  the  trn  flashings  before  laying. 


ART    OF    ROOF    FRAfllNG. 


Probably  no  part  in  the  construction  of  buildings 
so  thoroughly  taxes  the  skill  and  ingenuity  of  the 
builder  as  the  framing  of  roofs.  Many  diagrams  have 
been  published  from  time  to  time  showing  how  to 
find  the  lengths  and  bevels  cf  hips,  valleys  and  jacks 
on  all  kinds  of  roofs.  Yet  many  of  the  plans  here- 
tofore published  have  been  too  complicated  to  satisfy 
the  wants  of  the  inexperienced  in  the  art  of  roof 
framing.  At  this  time  will 
be  presented  a  choice  of 
methods,  beginning  with 
the  simplest  form  and  il- 
lustrating the  subject  step 
by  step,  thus  showing  new 
and  novel  plans  as  they 
will  appear  in  actual  prac- 
A  *  tice. 

Fig.   57.-Obtainins  Lengths  and         p.  .,,    ,        introduced 

Bevels  of  Rafters. 

a    plan    showing    how    to 

obtain  the  lengths  and  bevels  of  common  rafters, 
hips,  valleys  and  jacks  in  the  simplest  manner,  and 
with  the  fewest  lines  possible.  Referring  to  Fig. 
57,  draw  a  horizontal  line  twice  the  run  of  the  com- 
mon rafter,  as  A  B.  From  the  center  of  this  line  at 
C  erect  a  perpendicular,  continuing  it  indefinitely. 
Next  set  off  on  the  perpendicular  the  rise  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  C  D;  connect  D  and  B  for  the  length  of 
the  common  rafter.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  B 
will  give  the  bottom  cut  and  at  D  the  top  cut.  Next 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  81 

set  off  on  the  perpendicular  line  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter  C  E,  which  is  the  same  length  as  D 
B.  Connect  E  and  A  for  the  length  of  the  hip  or 
valley,  as  the  case  may  be.  Next  space  the  jacks  on 
the  line  A  C  and  draw  perpendicular  lines  joining 
the  hip  or  valley.  The  lines  J  J  will  be  the  lengths 
of  the  jacks,  and  a  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  F,  where 
the  jack  joins  the  hip  or  valley,  will  give  the  bevel 
across  the  back  of  the  same.  The  plumb  cut  or 
down  bevel  of  a  jack  is  always  the  same  as  that  of 
the  common  rafter.  There  are  now  shown  all  the 
lines  necessary  to  be  drawn,  the  plan  indicating 
everything  but  the  cuts 
of  the  hip  or  valley 
rafter,  and  this,  be  it  re- 
membered, is  always  17 
for  the  bottom  cut  and 
the  rise  of  the  common 
rafter  to  the  foot  run  for 
the  top  cut.  As  some  may 
think  a  system  which  £  C 

does    not    show    the  cuts     &«•  68.-Diagrram  Showing  Cuta 

,.        ,  .  ,,  „  of   Hip  or  Valley  Rafters, 

of  a  hip  or  valley  as  well 

as  its  length  is  incomplete,  we  will  take  the  same 
plan  and  by  the  addition  of  three  more  lines  show 
everything  that  can  be  desired,  as  in  Fig.  58.  Draw 
the  lines  the  same  as  in  Fig.  57,  then  set  off  on  the 
perpendicular  line  the  run  of  the  common  rafter 
C  F.  Connect  F  and  B  for  run  of  hip  or  valley. 
Next  square  up  the  rise  from  F  to  G  and  connect  G 
and  B  for  the  length  of  hip  or  valley  rafter.  A  bevel 
set  in  the  angle  at  B  will  give  the  bottom  cut,  and  at 
G  the  top  cut.  It  will  be  noticed  in  Fig.  58  that  the 


82 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


lines  A  E  and  G  B  are  of  the  same  length,  and  in  both 
cases  represent  the  hip  or  valley,  while  showing  it  in 
different  positions.  The  line  A  E  shows  the  hip  or 
valley  in  position  for  finding  the  length  and  bevel  of 
the  jacks,  while  the  line  G  B  shows  the  hip  or  valley 
in  position  to  find  the  length  and  bevels  of  the 
same.  This  plan  will  work  on  roofs  of  any  pitch  and 
has  only  to  be  slightly  varied  to  meet  the  require 
^  ments  of  roofs  having 
hips  and  valleys  of  two 
pitches.  On  half  pitch 
roofs  one  less  line  is  re- 
quired, as  shown  in  Fig. 
59.  The  line  D  B  in  Fig. 
58  comes  in  the  same  po- 
sition as  F  B,  when  ap- 
plied to  half  pitch  roofs, 
and  is  therefore  the 
length  of  the  common 
rafter  and  at  the  same 
time  represents  the  run 
of  the  hip  rafter.  As  two  lines  cannot  be  drawn  in 
the  same  space  we  drop  the  line  D  B,  remembering 
that  it  is  shown  by  F  B. 

BEVEL    OF    JACK     RAFTERS. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  the  subject  of  roof 
framing  we  will  illustrate  a  very  simple  method  for 
obtaining  the  bevel  across  the  back  of  jack  rafters, 
or  any  rafter  which  cuts  on  a  bevel  across  the  back. 
Referring  to  Fig.  60,  draw  the  plumb  line  or  pitch  of 
the  roof  on  the  side  of  the  rafter  B  C.  Next  draw 
another  plumb  line  the  thickness  of  the  rafter  from 
the  first,  and  measured  square  from  B  C,  as  shown 


A 

Fig. 


59.— Diagram  for  Half  Pitch 
Roofs. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  83 

by  the  dotted  lines.  Square  across  the  back  of  the 
rafter,  from  the  dotted  plumb  line  to  A.  Connect 
A  with  B,  and  the  lines  to  follow  in  cutting  are  A  B 
C.  This  plan  is  worth  remembering,  as  it  will  work 
on  roofs  of  any  pitch,  and,  in  fact,  will  cut  the  bevel 
across  the  back  of  any  rafter  which  cuts  on  a  bevel.  It 
is  the  plumb  cut  and  the  thickness  of  the  rafter  applied 
in  the  manner  described  that  does  the  business  every 
time.  After  the  cuts  have 

been    found    bevels    can        / re 

be  set  for  them  if  desired. 

BACKING    HIP    RAFTERS. 

Let  us  now  consider 
the  backing  of  the  hip 
rafter,  an  item  which  on 
common  house  and  barn 
framing  is  of  but  little 

..      '  ....  n    Fig.  60.— Obtaining:  Bevel  Across 

importance,  yet  it  is  well          the  Back  of  Jack  Rafter> 
enough  to  know  how  it 

is  done.  Almost  any  roof  is  as  good  without  as 
with  the  hips  backed,  and  when  the  roof  is  com- 
pleted it  is  impossible  to  tell  which  method  was 
pursued.  In  cases  where  the  hip  rafter  is  doubled  or 
very  thick  it  is  advisable  to  back  it,  but  ordinarily 
this  is  unnecessary,  being  a  waste  of  time.  Where 
backing  is  necessary,  a  rule  near  enough  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes  is  as  follows  :  Working  from  the  cen- 
ter of  the  back  of  .rafter  set  the  bevel  to  cut  off 

%  inch  in  1  inch  for  three-fourth  pitch  roofs. 
i£  inch  in  1  inch  for  one-half  pitch  roofs. 
Y*,  inch  in  1  inch  for  one-third  pitch  roofs. 
X  inch  in  1  inch  for  one-quarter  pitch  roofs. 


84 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


As  the  above  table  may  not  be  considered  a  scien- 
tific way  of  doing  the  work,  Fig.  61  is  presented. 
Draw  a  horizontal  line,  A  B,  and  from  A  draw 
another  at  an  angle  representing  the  bottom  cut  of 
the  hip  rafter,  as  A  C.  On  the  line  A  C  square  up 
the  thickness  of  the  rafter  to  D.  Mark  the  center 
and  draw  the  line  C  F  at  an  angle  of  45°  to  A  D.  On 
the  line  E  F  square  up  from  E  to  G,  and  the  lines 


Fig.  61.— Backing  a  Hip  Baf  ter. 

for  the  backing  are  G  E  F.  The  other  lines  are 
merely  to  show  that  the  piece  is  off  the  bottom  end 
of  the  hip  rafter  itself. 

HIP    ROOFS    OF    UNEQUAL    PITCHES. 

In  Fig.  62  is  shown  the  manner  in  which  the 
method  represented  in  Fig.  58  may  be  varied  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  roofs  of  unequal  pitches.  Draw 
the  line  A  B,  in  length  equal  to  the  runs  of  the  com- 
mon rafters  on  both  the  long  and  short  sides  of  the 
hips.  Divide  the  line  A  B  so  that  A  C  will  represent 
the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  long  side  of  the 
hip,  and  C  B  the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the 
short  side.  From  C  erect  a  perpendicular  line,  ex- 
tending it  indefinitely.  Set  off  on  the  perpendicular 
line  the  rise  of  the  common  rafter  C  D.  Connect  D 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


85 


with  A  and  with  B  for  the  lengths  of  the  common 
rafters.  A  bevel  set  at  D  on  line  A  D  will  give 
the  top  cut  of  common  rafter  on  the  long  side  of  hip 
and  at  A  the  bottom  cut.  A  bevel  set  at  D  on  line 
B  D  will  give  the  top  cut  of  common  rafter  on  the 
short  side  of  hip  and  at  B  the  bottom  cut.  Next  set 
off  on  the  perpendicular  line  the  length  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  short  side  of  the  hip  C  E.  Con- 
nect E  with  A  for  the  length  of  the  hip  and  position 
for  finding  the  length  and  bevel  of  jacks  on  the  short 
side  of  the  hip. 
A  bevel  set  in 
the  angle  where 
they  join  the  hip 
line  A  E  will 
give  the  bevel 
across  the  back. 
The  plumb  cut 
or  down  bevel  is 
the  same  as  that 
of  the  common 
rafter  on  the 
short  side  of  the 
hip  shown  at  D 
on  the  line  D  B.  Next  set  off  on  perpendicular  the 
length  of  common  rafter  on  the  long  side  of  hip  C  F; 
connect  F  with  B  for  the  hip  and  position  for  finding 
the  length  and  bevel  of  jacks  on  the  long  side  of  the  hip. 
A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  where  they  join  the  hip  line 
F  B  will  give  the  bevel  across  the  back.  The  plumb 
cut  or  down  bevel  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  common 
rafter  on  the  long  side  of  the  hip,  shown  at  D  on  the 
line  A  D.  To  find  the  cut  of  the  hip  rafter  set  off 


C  B 

Fig.  62.— Diagram  Showing  how  Method  Pre- 
sented in  Fig.  58  may  be  Varied  for  Roofs 
of  Unequal  Pitches. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


on  the  perpendicular  the  run  of  the  common  rafter 
on  the  short  side  of  hip  C  a.  Connect  a  with  A  for 
the  run  of  the  hip.  Square  up  the  rise  of  the  hip  a  H 
and  connect  H  with  A  for  the  hip  rafter.  A  bevel 
set  in  the  angle  at  H  will  give  the  top  cut  and  at  A 
the  bottom  cut.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  lines,  B  F, 
A  E  and  A  H  show  the  length  of  the  hip  rafters. 
B  F  shows  hip  rafter  in  position  for  finding  the  length 
and  bevel  of  the  jacks  on  the  long  side  of  the  hip. 
A  E  shows  the  hip  in  position  for  finding  the  length 
and  bevel  of  the  jacks  on  the  short  side  of  the  hip. 
A  H  shows  the  hip  in  position  for  finding  the  length 
and  bevel  of  the  hip  rafter.  For  plain  hips  and  val- 
leys on  roofs  of  equal  pitch  no  one  could  wish  for  an 
easier  method  than  represented  in  Fig.  58,  but  Fig. 
62,  which  has  been  modified  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  roofs  of  unequal  pitches,  necessarily  makes  the 
method  more  complicated,  and  with  beginners  there  is 
much  danger  of  making  mistakes  by  taking  measure- 
ments and  bevels  on  the  wrong  side,  as  the  lengths 
of  jacks  for  the  long  side  of  roof  appear  on  the  short 
run  of  common  rafter,  and  vice  versa  the  jacks  for  the 
short  side  of  roof.  This  circumstance  may  seem 
somewhat  strange,  yet  it  is  nevertheless  true,  and 
can  perhaps  be  more  fully  demonstrated  by  Fig.  63. 

GREAT    CIRCLE    OF    JACK    RAFTERS. 

The  great  circle  of  jack  rafters  is  another  modifica- 
tion of  Fig.  58  for  roofs  of  unequal  pitches.  Refer- 
ring to  Fig.  63,  let  A  B  represent  the  long  run  of 
common  rafter,  B  E  the  rise  and  A  E  the  length. 
A  bevel  set  at  E  on  the  line  A  E  will  give  the  down 
bevel  and  at  A  the  bottom  bevel.  B  C  is  the  short 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  87 

run  of  common  rafters,  B  E  the  rise  and  C  E  the 
length.  A  bevel  set  at  E  on  the  line  C  E  will 
give  the  down  bevel  and  at  C  the  bottom  bevel.  B 
D  is  the  short  run  of  the  common  rafter  and  the  same 
as  B  C  ;  then  A  D  is  the  angle  and  run  of  the  hip, 


Tig.  63.— Great  Circle  of  Jack  Rafters. 

D  F  the  rise,  and  A  F  the  length  of  hip  rafter.  The 
bevel  at  F  is  the  down  bevel  and  at  A  the  bottom 
bevel.  A  H  shows  the  hip  rafter  A  F  dropped  down 
in  position  to  find  the  length  and  bevel  of  the  jacks 
for  the  side  of  roof  having  the  short  run  of  common 
rafter.  Space  the  jacks  on  the  line  A  B  and  draw 
perpendicular  lines  joining  the  hip  line  A  H  for  the 


88  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

length  of  jacks.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  G  will 
give  the  bevel  across  the  back.  The  down  bevel  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter  for  the  short 
run  and  is  shown  at  E  on  the  line  C  E.  H  is  the 
apex  of  the  triangle  formed  on  the  side  of  the  roof 
having  the  short  run  of  common  rafter.  It  is  evident 
that  the  apex  of  the  triangle  formed  on  the  side  of 
the  roof  having  the  long  run  of  the  common  rafter 
must  be  at  the  same  point,  therefore  H  is  the  apex  of 
the  hip  and  of  the  common  rafters  from  either  side 
of  the  hip.  Now,  to  find  the  length  and  bevel  of 
jacks  on  the  side  of  roof  having  the  long  run  of  com- 
mon rafter,  measure  down  from  H  to  I  the  length  of 
the  common  rafter  on  the  long  run,  which  is  the 
same  as  A  E.  From  I  set  off  the  short  run  of  com- 
mon rafter  to  J  ;  connect  J  with  H,  which  places  the 
hip  rafter  in  position  for  finding  the  length  and  bevel 
of  jacks  on  the  side  of  roof  having  the  long  run  of 
common  rafter.  Space  the  jacks  on  the  line  I  J  and 
draw  perpendicular  lines,  joining  the  hip  line  J  H, 
which  gives  the  length  of  jacks.  A  bevel  set  in  the 
angle  at  K  will  give  the  bevel  across  the  back.  The 
down  bevel  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter 
for  the  long  run,  and  is  shown  at  E  on  the  line  A  E. 
The  circular  lines  show  that  taking  H  as  a  center  the 
triangle  H  I  J  will  swing  around  opposite  the  triangle 
A  B  H,  and  bring  every  jack  opposite  its  mate  on 
the  hip  line  A  H,  thus  proving  the  correctness  of  the 
method,  as  well  as  showing  how  to  space  the  jacks 
correspondingly. 

In  Fig.  64  is  shown  another  method  for  obtaining 
the  lengths  and  cuts  of  rafters  in  hip  roofs  of  un- 
equal pitch.  Let  ABC  represent  the  wall  plate  and 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE.  89 


D  E  F  the  deck  plate;  then  A  E  is  the  run  of  the 
common  rafter  on  the  short  side  of  the  hip,  E  D  the 
rise  and  A  D  the  length. 

The  bevel  at  D  is  the  plumb  cut  at  the  top  and  at 
A  the  bottom  cut.  From  A  set  off  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter  to  G,  which  should  be  the  same 
length  as  A  D.  Connect  B  G,  which  places  the  hip 
rafter  in  position  to  find  the  length  and  bevel  of 
jacks  on  the  short  side  of  the  hip.  Space  the  jacks  on 
the  line  B  A,  and  draw  perpendicular  lines  joining  the 
hip  line  B  G  for  the  length  of  the  jacks  on  the  short 
side  of  the  hip.  The  bevel  at  J  is  the  bevel  across 
the  back  of  the  same.  The  plumb  cut  or  down  bevel 
is  the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter  shown  at  D. 
C  E  is  the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  long  side 
of  the  hip,  E  F  being  the  rise  and  C  F  the  length. 
The  bevel  at  F  is  the  plumb  cut  at  the  top  and  at  C 
the  bottom  cut.  From  C  set  off  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter  to  H,  which  should  be  the  same  length 
as  C  F.  Connect  B  H,  which  places  the  hip  rafter  in 
position  to  find  length  and  bevel  of  jacks  on  the 
long  side  of  the  hip.  Space  the  jacks  on  the  line  B 
C  and  draw  the  same,  joining  the  hip  line  B  H,  which 
will  give  the  length  of  jacks  on  the  long  side  of  the 
hip.  The  bevel  at  K  is  the  bevel  across  the  back.  The 
plumb  cut  or  down  bevel  is  the  same  as  that  of  the 
common  rafter  shown  at  F.  BE  is  the  angle  and  run 
of  the  hip,  E  I  the  rise  and  B  I  the  length  of  the  hip 
rafter.  The  bevel  at  I  is  the  plumb  cut  at  the  top 
and  at  B  the  bottom  cut  fitting  the  plate.  Now , 
the  lines  B  G,  B  H  and  B  I  show  the  hip  rafter  in 
three  different  positions  for  finding  the  length  and 
bevels  of  the  jacks  and  the  hip,  and  are  practically 


90 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


the  same  as  shown  in  Fig.  62.  Of  the  two  plans  Fig. 
64  is  perhaps  plainer  and  more  easily  understood,  yet 
both  have  the  common  difficulty,  a  confusion  of  cross 
lines,  which  is  very  bothersome  to  many  who  are  try- 
ing to  master  the  art  of  roof  framing.  To  make  this 
system  of  roof  framing  so  plain  that  even  the  most 
inexperienced  may  readily  master  it,  we  will  show 


Fijr.  64.— Another  Method  of  Obtaining  Lengths  and  Cuts  of  Rafters 
in  Hip  Roofs  of  Unequal  Pitches. 

how  the  first  simple  method,  Fig.  57,  may  be  further 
extended  to  meet  the  requirements  of  any  roof,  show- 
ing ail  the  rafters  without  the  usual  complications 
of  cross  lines.  The  plan  never  fails  on  roofs  of  any 
pitch,  equal  or  unequal,  and,  no  matter  how  compli- 
cated the  roof  may  be,  it  will  all  appear  easy  by  this 
method. 

COMPLICATED    ROOF    FRAMING    MADE    EASY. 

Let  us  now  take  the  plan  of  a  hip  roof  building 
having  a  long  run  of  common  rafter  on  one  side  of 
the  hip  and  a  short  run  on  the  opposite  side.  This 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  91 

kind  of  a  hip  is  called  an  irregular  hip,  because  the 
base  line  or  run  of  the  hip  is  not  on  an  angle  of  45° 
with  the  plates,  as  in  the  regular  hip.  In  Fig.  65 
A  B  is  the  run  of  common  rafter  on  the  left  side  of 
the  hip  and  the  long  run.  B  D  is  the  run  of  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  right  side  of  the  hip  and  the  short 
run,  A  D  being  the  run  of  the  hip  rafter.  Now,  to 
make  everything  plain  and  avoid  the  confusion  of 


&  B 

Fig.  65.— Plan  of  an  Irregular  Hip  Roof. 

cross  lines  which  are  so  troublesome  to  the  inex- 
perienced it  is  better  to  make  separate  diagrams 
showing  each  succeeding  step  as  the  plan  progresses 
until  all  is  made  clear;  then  one  can  adopt  the  plan 
of  separate  diagrams  or  he  can  combine  the  whole  in 
one  if  desired.  To  beginners  separate  diagrams  are 
recommended,  especially  in  connection  with  compli- 
cated roofs. 

Referring  now  to  Fig.  66,  A  B  is  the  run  of  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  left  si:e  of  the  hip,  B  E  the  rise 
of  roof  and  AE  the  length  of  common  rafter  for  the 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


long  run.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  E  will  be  the 
plumb  cut  or  down  bevel  at  the  top,  and  a  bevel 
set  at  A  will  give  the  bottom  cut  fitting  the  plate. 
Next  set  off  the  run  of  common  rafter  on  the  right 

side  of  the  hip,  B  C, 
and  connect  E  with 
C  for  the  length  of 
the  common  rafter 
for  the  short  run.  A 
bevel  set  in  the  an- 
gle at  E  will  give  the 
down  bevel  at  the 
top  and  at  C  the  bot- 
tom cut.  We  will 
now  proceed  to  find 
the  hip  rafter  and 
bevels  for  cutting  the 
same.  A  B  is  the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the 
left  side  of  the  hip,  B  D  the  run  of  common  rafter 
on  right  side  of  hip,  while  A  D  is  the  run  and  angle 
the  hip  makes  with  the  plates.  From  D  square  up 
the  rise  of  the  roof  to  F;  connect  F  with  A,  and  we 
have  the  length  of  hip  rafter.  A  bevel  set  in  the 
angle  at  F  will  give  the  down  bevel  at  the  top  and  at 
A  the  bottom  bevel  fitting  the  plate. 

The  next  step  will  be  to  show  the  length  and  bev- 
els of  the  jack  rafters.  Referring  now  to  Fig.  67, 
draw  a  horizontal  line,  as  A  C,  representing  the 
length  of  plate  in  the  plan.  From  A  set  off  the  run 
of  the  common  rafter  on  the  left  or  long  run  to  B. 
From  B  erect  a  perpendicular  to  F,  which  is  the 
length  of  common  rafter  on  the  short  run  and 
shown  by  E  C  in  Fig.  66.  Connect  F  with  A,  and 


Fig.  66.  — Diagram  for  Finding  the 
Lengths  and  Bevels  cf  Rafters  for 
Irregular  Hip  Roofs. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


93 


the  hip  line  is  in  position  for  finding  the  lengths  and 
bevels  of  the  jacks  on  the  side  of  the  building  having 
the  short  run  of  common  rafter.  Space  the  jacks  on 
the  line  A  B  and  draw  perpendicular  lines  joining 
the  hip  line.  This  will  give  the  lengths  of  jacks,  and 
a  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  G  will  give  the  bevel 
across  the  back  of  the  same  The  plumb  cut  or 
down  bevel  will  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  common 
rafter  on  the  shcrt  run.  F  D  shows  the  length  of 
ridge  and  the  space  which  the  common  rafters  oc- 


A  BE  C 

Fig.  67. — Lengths  and  Bevels  of  Jack  Rafters. 

cupy.  C  E  D  shows  a  space  for  jacks  similar  to  A  B 
F.  It  is  unnecessary  to  draw  the  jacks  in  this  space, 
and  it  is  therefore  left  blank.  The  next  step  will  be 
to  find  the  lengths  and  bevels  of  the  jacks  on  the 
end  of  the  building  having  the  long  run  of  the  com- 
mon rafter.  Referring  to  Fig.  68,  let  A  C  represent 
the  width  of  the  building,  A  B  the  run  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  on  short  run,  B  F  the  length  of  com- 
mon rafter  on  long  run  and  the  same  as  shown  by  A 
E  in  Fig.  66.  Space  the  line  A  B  for  the  jacks  and 
draw  perpendicular  lines  joining  the  hips.  A  bevel 
set  in  the  angle  at  L  will  give  the  bevel  across  the 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


back.  The  plumb  cut  or  down  bevel  will  be  the 
same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  long  run. 
Now  everything  desired  has  been  shown,  and  with- 
out the  confusion  of  cross-lines.  By  this  method  all 
F  complications  in  roof 

framing  are  made  easy. 
And  the  most  difficult 
roofs  will  show  the  su- 
periority of  this  plan,  as  it 
is  rarely  ever  necessary 
to  cross  a  line,  and  if 
necessary  every  rafter 
may  be  shown.  For  roofs 
having  hips  and  gables  of 
varying  pitches  this  plan 
has  no  equal.  In  Fig.  69 
is  shown  how  Figs.  66,  67 
and  68  may  be  combined  to  indicate  the  different 
lengths  and  cuts  of  all  the  rafters  directly  from  the 
plan. 

This  method  is  attended  with  many  cross  lines  and 
is  not  recommended  even  to  the  most  experienced, 
for,  in  connection  with  complicated  roofs,  there  is 
danger  of  making  mistakes.  Referring  to  the  plan, 
Fig.  69,  A  B  is  the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the 
left  side  of  the  hip,  and  the  long  run  B  E  is  the  rise, 
A  E  being  the  length.  A  bevel  set  at  E  on  the  line 
A  E  will  give  the  plumb  cut  or  down  bevel,  and  at 
A  the  bottom  bevel.  B  C  is  the  run  of  the  common 
rafter  on  the  right  side  of  the  hip,  and  the  short  run 
B  E  the  rise  and  E  C  the  length.  A  bevel  set  at  E, 
on  the  line  C  E,  will  give  the  plumb  cut  or  down  bevel, 
and  at  C  the  bottom  bevel. 


Fig.  68.— Finding  Lengths  and 
Bevels  of  Jack  Rafters  on  the 
End  of  Building  Having  the 
long  run  of  the  Common  Rafter. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


Of, 


A  B  is  the  long  run  of  the  common  rafter,  B  D 
the  short  run  of  the  common  rafter,  A  D  the 
angle  and  run  of  the  hip,  D  F  the  rise  of  the 
hip  and  A  F  the  length  of  hip  rafter.  The  bevel 
at  F  is  the  down  bevel  and  at  A  the  bottom  bevel. 
B  H  is  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  for  the  short 


Fig.  69.— Showing  how  several  Diagrams  may  be  combined  to  indicate 
directly  from  the  Plan  the  different  Length  and  Cuts  of  all  the 
Rafters. 


run  and  the  same  as  C  E,  while  A  H  is  the  hip 
dropped  down  in  position  for  finding  lengths  and 
bevel  for  jacks  on  the  side  of  the  roof  having  the 
short  run  of  the  common  rafter.  The  jacks  are 
spaced  on  the  line  A  B  and  drawn  perpendicular, 
joining  the  hip  line  AH.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at 
G  will  give  the  bevel  across  the  back. 

The  plumb  cut  or  down  bevel  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  common  rafter  on  the  short  run,  and  is  shown 
at  E  on  the  line  E.  C.  The  letters  I  J  represent  the 
length  of  the  common  rafter  for  the  long  run,  which  is 


96  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

the  same  as  A  E  ;  then  J  K  is  the  length  and  position 
of  the  hip  for  finding  lengths  and  bevel  for  the  back 
of  the  jacks  on  the  side  having  the  long  run  of  the 
common  rafter.  Space  the  jacks  on  the  line  I  K  and 
draw  them  at  right  angles  joining  the  hip  line  K  J. 
A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  L  will  give  the  bevel 
across  the  back  of  the  same,  the  down  bevel  being 
the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  long  run. 
It  is  shown  at  E  on  line  E  A.  In  Fig.  69  all  the  work 
is  shown  in  one  diagram  very  plainly,  yet  to  many  it 
may  appear  somewhat  complicated.  Two  pitches  in 
one  roof  always  make  a  complication  of  bevels,  often 
requiring  many  lines  to  illustrate.  As  a  proof  of 
the  correctness  of  this  method  observe  the  following 
point  :  A  F,  A  H  and  J  K  each  represent  the  hip 
rafter,  showing  it  in  different  positions,  and  if  the 
work  is  right  these  lines  must  be  of  the  same  length. 
A  F  is  the  position  of  the  hip  for  finding  the  cuts, 
while  A  H  is  the  position  of  the  hip  for  finding  the 
bevel  for  the  back  of  the  jack  on  the  short  run.  J  K 
is  the  position  for  finding  the  bevel  for  back  of  jack 
on  the  long  run.  Having  shown  the  most  practical 
system  of  hip  roof  framing,  let  us  now  consider  its 
application  to  some  of  the  most  complicated  plans 
which  frequently  come  up  in  actual  practice. 

HIPS    ON    END    OF    BUILDING    OUT    OF    SQUARE. 

A  plan  of  a  hip  roof  with  one  end  out  of  square  is 
shown  in  Fig.  70.  Let  A  B  C  D  represent  the  plates 
in  the  plan  ;  D  E  C  the  angle  and  run  of  hips  on  the 
square  end  of  the  plan,  and  A  F  B  the  angle  and  run 
of  hips  on  the  end  which  is  out  of  square.  In  order 
to  determine  the  point  F  so  that  the  ridge  of  the  roof 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


will  be  level,  make  A  F  H  equal  to  D  E  G  in  the 
plan.  From  F  on  line  A  F  square  up  the  rise  of  hip 
to  I,  which  connect  with  A  for  the  hip  rafter.  Then 
I  is  the  down  and  A  the  bottom  bevels.  The  hip 
rafters  on  the  square  end  of  the  plan  will  be  the 
same  length  as  A  I  and  will  have  the  same  bevels. 
From  F,  on  the  line  B  F,  square  up  the  rise  of  roof  to 


A  H  M 

Fig.  70.—  Plan  of  Hip  Roof  with  One  End  out  of  Square. 


J,  which  connect  with  B  for  the  length  of  the  hip  on 
the  long  corner.  Then  J  is  the  down  and  B  the  bot- 
tom bevel.  K  F  is  the  run,  F  L  the  rise  and  K  L 
the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  end  of  plan 
which  is  out  of  square.  L  is  the  down  bevel  and  K 
the  bottom  bevel.  M  N  O  shows  the  rise,  run  and 
length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  main  plan,  O  be- 
ing the  down  bevel  and  M  the  bottom  bevel. 

To  avoid  the  great  confusion  of  cross  lines  which 
would  now  follow  if  the  work  was  further  developed 
in  Fig.  70,  we  will  dispense  with  this  plan,  only  tak- 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


ing  from  it  measurements  to  develop  the  new  lines 
and  bevels  of  the  rafters.  Referring  now  to  Fig.  71, 
let  A  D  represent  the  plate,  A  H  the  run  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  and  H  I  the  length  of  the  common  rafter 
on  the  main  roof,  which  is  the  same  as  M  O  of  Fig. 
70.  Connect  I  with  A  for  the  position  of  the  hip  for 
finding  the  lengths  and  bevels  of  jacks  on  the  front 
side  of  plan.  Space  the  rafters  on  the  line  A  D  and 
draw  them  perpendicular  to  the  hip. 

A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  where  they  join  the  hip 


Fig.  71. — Diagram  for  Finding  Lengths  and  Bevels  of 
Jacks  on  Front  Side  of  Plan,  Fig.  70. 


line  will  give  the  bevel  across  the  back  of  the  jacks, 
the  down  bevel  being  the  same  as  that  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  main  part.  It  is  shown  at  O  in 
Fig.  70.  The  lengths  and  bevels  of  the  jacks  on  the 
square  end  of  the  plan  will  be  the  same  as  the  part 
of  the  roof  already  illustrated.  The  hip  rafter  D  E 
is  the  same  as  A  I.  We  will  now  consider  the  end  of 
the  plan  which  is  out  of  square.  Referring  to  Fig. 
72,  the  lines  B  C  A  show  how  much  the  plan  is  out  of 
square.  A  B  is  the  plate,  K  L  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter  on  the  end  of  plan,  being  the  same  a$ 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


Of! 


K  L  of  Fig.  70  ;  B  L  the  hip  on  the  long  corner,  be- 
ing the  same  as  B  J  of  Fig.  70,  while  A  L  is  the  hip 
on  the  short  corner,  and  is  the  same  as  A  I  of  Fig. 
70.  Space  the  jacks  on  the  line  B  A  and  draw 
them  perpendicular,  joining  B  A  with  the  hip  lines 
B  L  A,  which  gives  the 
lengths  of  jacks  on  this 
end  of  the  plan.  The 
bevel  at  E  is  the  bevel 
across  the  back  joining 
the  long  hip.  The  bevel 
at  F  is  the  bevel  across 
the  back  joining  the  short 
hip.  The  down  bevel  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the 
common  rafter  shown  at 
L  in  Fig.  70.  We  have 
now  to  find  the  lengths 
and  bevels  of  the  jacks 

en  the  rear  side  of  the  long  hip.  Referring  to  Fig. 
73,  B  C  represents  the  rear  plate,  B  D  is  the  square 
of  the  hip,  being  the  same  as  B  P  of  Fig  70;  D  L  the 
length  of  the  common  rafter,  being  the  same  as  O  M 
of  Fig.  70,  while  B  L  is  the  position  of  the  hip  for 
finding  the  lengths  and  bevels  of  jacks  on  the  rear 
side  of  the  long  hip,  and  is  of  the  same  length  as 
B  L  of  Fig.  72.  The  jacks  are  spaced  wider  on  B  D, 
Fig.  73,  than  on  B  K,  Fig.  72,  in  order  that  they  may 
meet  opposite  on  the  hip  B  L.  Draw  the  jacks  per- 
pendicular from  B  D,  Fig.  73,  joining  the  hip  B  L, 
which  will  give  their  lengths.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle 
at  E  where  they  join  the  hip  will  give  the  bevel  across 
the  back.  The  down  bevel  will  be  the  same  as  that 


Fig.  72.— Diagram  of  End  of  Plan 
Out  of  Square. 


100 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


of  the  common  rafter  on   the  main  part  or  this  side 
of  the  roof. 

GABLES    OF    DIFFERENT    PITCHES. 

In  Fig.  74  is  represented  a  plan  of  a  roof  having  three 
gables  of  varying  pitches.  The  right  gable  A  B  C  is 
1 6  feet  wide  and  has  a  rise  of  8  feet.  The  front 
gable  D  F  G  is  18  feet  wide  and  has  a  rise  of  8  feet. 
The  last  gable  J  I  H  is  21  feet  wide  and  has  a  rise  of 
8  feet.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  left  gable  has  two 
different  pitches.  This  plan  shows  as  much  irregu- 


Fig.  73.— Diagram  for  Finding  tbe  Lengths  and  Bevels  of  the 
Jacks  on  the  Rear  Side  of  the  Long  Hip. 

larity  as  can  be  desired  and  as  much  as  is  generally 
encountered  in  actual  practice.  We  will  now  proceed 
to  find  the  lengths  and  different  cuts  of  the  various 
rafters  required  in  this  roof.  The  dotted  lines  repre- 
sent lines  plumb  under  the  ridge  of  the  gables.  The 
lengths  of  the  common  rafters  and  their  proper  cuts 
may  be  taken  from  each  of  the  three  gables  sepa- 
rately, and  are  so  plain  and  easily  understood  from 
the  diagram  that  further  explanation  is  unnecessary. 
The  roof  has  two  valleys  of  different  pitches,  of  which 
the  lines  N  L  K  are  the  seats  or  runs.  To  find  the 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


101 


length  of  the  valley  rafter  on  the  right  side  of  the 
front  gable  on  the  line  K  L,  square  up  the  rise  of  the 
roof  from  L  to  M,  connect  M  with  K,  and  we  have 
the  length  of  the  valley  i  after.  A  bevel  set  in  the  an- 
gle at  M  will  give  the  down  bevel  at  the  top  and  the 
angle  at  K  the  bottom  cut  fitting  the  plate.  To  find 
the  length  of  the  valley  rafter  on  the  left  side  of  the 
front  gable  on  the  line  N  L,  square  up  the  rise  of  the 
roof  from  L  to  O  and  connect  O  with  N  for  the 


Fig.  74.— Plan  of  Roof  having  Three  Gables  of  Varying  Pitches. 

length  of  the  valley  rafter.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle 
at  O  will  give  the  down  bevel  at  the  top  and  the  an- 
gle at  N  the  bottom  cut  fitting  the  plate.  Now,  if 
we  were  to  draw  all  the  lines  in  Fig,  74  necessary  to 
show  the  lengths  and  proper  cuts  of  all  the  different 
jack  rafters  required  in  this  roof,  there  would  be  such 
a  number  crossing  each  other  at  various  angles  as  to 
cause  confusion.  In  this  roof  there  are  four  different 
cuts  of  jack  rafters,  and  it  is  better  not  to  have  them 


102 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


mixed  up  with  the  valleys  and  common  rafters,  hence 
we  will  make  separate  diagrams. 

Referring  now  to  Fig.  75,  to  find  the  lengths  and 
bevels  of  jacks  on  the  front  side  of  right  and  left 
gables,  draw  a  horizontal  line,  J  A,  representing  the 
entire  length  of  front  plate  line.  Next  set  off  the  ex- 
act location  of  the  front  gable  N  K.  From  the  cen- 
ter of  the  front  gable  draw  a  perpendicular  line,  S  O, 
the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  front  side  of 


Fig.   75.—  Finding  Lengths  and  Hevels  of  Jack  Rafters  on  the 
Front  Side  of  Right  and  Left  Gables  Shown  in  Fig.  74. 

the  left  gable,  the  same  as  J  I  in  Fig.  74.  Connect 
O  with  N  for  the  position  of  the  valley  rafter  for 
finding  the  lengths  and  bevels  of  jacks  on  the  front 
side  of  the  left  gable.  Square  up  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter  on  the  front  side  of  the  left  gable  J  I 
and  connect  I  O  for  the  ridge  line.  Space  the  rafters 
on  the  ridge  line  and  draw  perpendicular  lines 
to  the  plate  and  valley,  which  will  give  the  lengths  of 
the  jacks  on  the  front  side  of  t'.ie  left  gable.  A  bevel 
set  in  the  angle  at  W  where  they  join  the  valley  will 
give  the  bevel  across  the  back.  The  plumb  cut  or 
down  bevel  will  be  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter 
on  the  front  side  of  the  left  gable.  To  find  the  lengths 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


103 


and  bevels  of  jacks  on  the  front  side  of  right  gable, 
set  off  the  length  of  common  rafter  from  the  center 
of  the  front  gable  S  M,  which  is  the  same  as  A  B  of 
Fig.  74.  Connect  M  with  K  for  the  position  of  the 
valley  rafter  for  finding  the  lengths  and  bevels  of  the 
jacks  on  the  front  side  of  the  right  gable.  Square 
up  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  right  gable 
A  B  and  connect  B  M  for  the  ridge  line.  Space  the 
jacks  on  the  ridge  line  and  draw  perpendicular  lines 
to  the  plate  and  valley,  which  will  give  the  lengths  of 
the  jacks  on  the  front  side  of  the  right  gable.  A 
bevel  set'  in  the  angle  at  Z  where  they  join  the 
valley  will  give  the 
lyj  bevel  across  the  back. 

The  plumb  cut  or  down 
bevel  will  be  the  same 
as  that  of  the  common 
rafter  on  the  right 
gable.  The  lines  N  F  K 
G  K  T  C  show  the  length  of  the 

common  rafter  on   the 

Fig    76.— Finding  Lengths  and  Bevels     . 

of  the  Jack  Itafters  on  the   Bight    fr«nt  gable. 

Side  of  the  Front  Gable.  To    find    the     lengths 

and  bevels  of  the  jacks 

on  the  right  side  of  the  front  gable  draw  a  horizon- 
tal line  G  C,  Fig.  76,  representing  the  plate  line. 
On  this  line  set  off  the  location  of  the  right  gable 
K  C.  From  the  center  of  the  gable  set  off  the  length 
of  common  rafter  on  the  front  gable  T  M,  which  is 
the  same  as  G  F  of  Fig.  74.  Connect  M  with  K  for 
the  position  of  valley  rafter  for  finding  the  lengths 
and  bevels  of  jacks  on  the  right  side  of  the  front  gable. 
Square  up  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the 


104 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


front  gable,  G  F,  and  connect  F  M  for  the  ridge  line. 
Space  the  jacks  on  the  ridge  line  and  draw  perpen- 
dicular lines  to  the  plate  and  valley,  which  will  give 
the  lengths  of  the  jacks  on  the  right  side  of  the 
front  gable.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  Y  will  give 
the  bevel  across  the  back.  The  plumb  cut  or  down 
bevel  will  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter 
on  the  front  gable.  The  lines  K  B  C  show  the  length 
of  the  common  rafter  on  the  right  gable.  To  find 
the  lengths  and  bevels  of  the  jacks  on  the  left  side 

of  the  front  gable  draw 

0  p     a  horizontal  line,  as  H 

D  of  Fig.  77,  represent- 
ing the  plate  line.  On 
this  line  set  off  the  lo- 
cation of  the  left  gable, 
H  N.  From  R,  the 
point  directly  under 
the  ridge  of  this  gable, 
set  off  the  length  of 
the  common  rafter  on 
the  front  gable  R  O, 

which  is  the  same  as  D  F  of  Fig.  74.  Connect 
O  N  for  the  position  of  the  valley  for  finding 
the  lengths  and  bevels  of  the  jacks  on  the  left 
side  of  the  front  gable.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at 
x  will  give  the  bevel  across  the  back.  The  plumb 
cut  or  down  bevel  will  be  the  same  as  that  of  the 
common  rafter  on  the  front  gable.  The  lines  H  I  J 
show  the  lengths  of  the  common  rafters  on  the  left 
gable. 

In  order  to  throw  as  much  light  as  possible  upon 
the  subject  and  present  a  choice  of  methods,  we  will 


N 


fig.  77.— Finding  Lengths  and  Bevels 
of  Jacks  on  the  Left  Side  of  the 
Front  Gable. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE, 


105 


give  another  diagram  showing  the  different  cuts  of 
the  jack  rafters  in  a  much  plainer  manner,  and 
which  to  many,  perhaps,  will  be  more  satisfactory. 
Fig.  78  shows  the  wall  plate  lines  exactly  the  same 
as  in  Fig.  74,  except  it  is  divided  on  the  ridge  line  of 
the  front  gable,  and  spread  so  far  apart  that  when 
the  roof  is  developed,  showing  the  different  jack  raft- 
ers in  their  various  positions,  there  will  not  be  a 


Fig.  78.— Diagram  Showing  More  Clearly  the  Different  Cuts 
of  Jack  Rafters. 

series  of  lines  crossing  each  other  to  cause  confusion. 
Let  H,  C,  A,  K,  G,  D,  N,  J,  represent  the  wall  plate 
lines.  The  dotted  lines  R  L  S  and  S2  L2  T  are  the 
lines  plumb  under  the  ridge  of  the  gables.  We 
will  now  proceed  to  find  the  jack  rafters  and 
their  proper  cuts  :  Taking  the  left  gable  first  on  the 
line  J  H,  set  off  the  length  of  the  common  rafter 
from  J  to  I  ;  from  I,  at  right  angles,  draw  the  line 
I  O,  which  is  the  ridge  proper  and  extends  to  the 


106  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

center  of  the  front  gable  represented  by  the  dotted 
line  L  S  ;  connect  O  with  N  for  the  valley  rafter  ; 
on  the  line  I  O  space  off  the  jacks  and  draw  the 
lines  connecting  them  with  the  valley  N  O,  as  shown 
in  the  diagram.  This  will  give  the  lengths  of  the 
jacks  in  the  left  gable,  and  a  bevel  set  in  the  angle  at 
W  will  give  the  bevel  across  the  backs  of  the  same. 
The  down  bevel  will  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  front  side  of  the  left  gable.  A 
similar  plan  is  followed  for  each  gable  or  each  side  of 
a  gable,  where  the  jack  rafters  are  of  different  lengths 
or  have  different  cuts,  as  will  be  readily  seen  by 
referring  to  the  diagram.  The  valley  lines  N  O  and 
N  O2  are  of  the  same  length  and  show  the  valley 
rafters  in  different  positions  for  finding  the  lengths 
and  cuts  of  the  two  divisions  of  jacks — namely,  the 
left  gable  and  the  left  side  of  the  front  gable.  The 
valley  lines  K  M  and  K  M*  are  of  the  same  length, 
but  show  the  valley  rafter  in  different  positions  for 
finding  the  lengths  and  cuts  of  the  other  two  divis- 
ions of  jacks — namely,  the  right  gable  and  the  right 
side  of  the  front  gable. 

Now  elevate  the  four  sections  of  the  roof  contain- 
ing the  different  jacks  to  their  proper  pitch,  and  move 
the  two  divisions  of  the  diagram  together  till  the 
dotted  lines  L  S  and  L2  S2  meet  plumb  under  the  ridge 
of  the  front  gable.  What  is  the  result  ?  NO  and  N 
Oz  join  as  one  line  and  constitute  the  left  valley.  K 
M  and  K  M2  also  join  as  one  line  and  constitute  the 
right  valley.  This  would  also  bring  every  jack  into 
its  required  position  in  the  roof,  as  can  be  plainly 
seen  in  the  diagram.  The  cuts  of  the  two  valley 
rafters  must  be  taken  from  Fig.  74,  as  shown  and  de- 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  107 

scribed  before.  The  cuts  could  be  shown  in  Fig.  78, 
but  as  they  would  only  serve  to  make  the  diagram 
more  complicated,  they  are  omitted.  If  any  one 
would  like  to  see  a  diagram  showing  all  the  rafters 
and  different  cuts  in  a  roof  of  this  kind,  they  can 
draw  the  lines  of  Figs.  74  and  78  in  one  diagram.  If 
they  will  imagine  one  of  these  diagrams  placed  over 
the  other,  the  result  will  probably  be  satisfactory. 

HIP    AND    VALLEY    ROOFS. 

In  Fig.  79  is  represented  the  plan  of  a  hip  and 
valley  roof.  This  form  of  a  roof  is  frequently  termed 
broken-back  hip  and  valley,  because  the  main  hips 
are  intersected  by  the  common  rafters  of  the  gables 
from  one  side  and  the  valley  rafters  from  the  other. 
This  breaks  the  line  of  the  hip,  hence  the  origin  of 
the  term  broken-back.  In  Fig.  79  let  A  B,  B  C,  D  E 
and  E  F  represent  the  line  and  run  of  the  four  main 
hips.  It  will  be  seen  that  C  B  is  the  only  hip  line 
which  is  not  broken  by  a  common  rafter  or  a  jack 
from  the  gables.  The  main  hip  line  A  B  is  broken  at 
H  by  the  common  rafter  on  the  front  gable  which 
joins  it,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line  G  H.  If  A  was 
the  bottom  terminus  of  the  hip  it  would  cause  several 
of  the  common  rafters  on  the  left  side  of  the  front 
gable  to  be  cut  in  two,  making  more  jacks  and  more 
work,  while  weakening  the  general  construction  of 
the  roof.  In  framing,  the  hip  should  stop  against 
the  ridge  of  the  front  gable  at  H.  The  hip  line  D  E 
is  broken  at  I  by  a  jack  on  the  left  gable,  shown  by 
dotted  line  I  J.  In  framing,  the  hip  should  stop 
against  the  ridge  of  the  left  gable  at  I.  The  hip  line 
F  E  is  broken  at  K  by  the  intersection  of  the  valley 


108 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


rafter  L  K.  For  a  scientific  job  of  framing  the  valley 
rafter  a  b  on  the  front  side  of  right  gable  should  ex- 
tend to  the  ridge  of  the  rear  gable,  as  it  is  the  nearest 
place  of  support,  and  the  hip  rafter  E  F  should  stop 
at  c  against  the  valley  a  b.  The  line  B  C  is  the  run 
of  the  only  hip  rafter  which  forms  an  unbroken  line. 


Fif .  79.— Plan  of  Hip  and  Valley  Roof. 

From  B  square  down  the  rise  of  the  hip  to  M, 
and  connect  M  with  C  for  the  length  of  the  hip 
rafter.  A  bevel  set  at  M  will  give  the  down  bevel 
and  at  C  the  bottom  bevel.  The  method  of  obtaining 
the  lengths  of  the  hip  rafters,  which  are  termed 
broken  back,  will  be  plainly  illustrated  in  other  dia- 
grams. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


109 


Before  proceeding  further,  however,  the  reader 
should  be  reminded  of  the  fact  that  on  one-half  pitch 
roofs  the  run  of  a  hip  or  valley  is  the  length  of  a  cor- 
responding common  rafter,  hence  the  dotted  line  D  I 
shows  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  left  gable 
for  a  roof  of  one-half  pitch.  If  the  roof  was  some  other 
pitch — say  one-third,  for  example — then  the  length 
of  the  common  rafter  for  this  gable  could  be  shown 
by  setting  off  the  run  and  rise,  as  indicated  by  d  e  j. 


E       B 


Fig.  80. -Front  Elevation  of  Roof  Plan  Shown  in  Fiir.  79. 

Proceed  in  like  manner  with  the  gables,  and  also  with 
the  main  common  rafter.  Fortunately,  there  is  always 
an  easy  way  of  doing  work,  and  we  will  now  proceed 
with  the  method  that  makes  all  roof  framing  easy. 
Referring  to  Fig.  80,  first  draw  a  horizontal  line,  A 
B,  representing  the  front  plate,  and  set  off  on  this  line 
the  location  or  starting  points  of  all  hips  and  gables 
shown  on  the  front  of  plan  as  C  D  E.  Now,  C  E 
represents  the  starting  points  of  two  of  the  main 
hips,  and  also  the  span  of  the  building  having  the 
longest  common  rafter,  F  being  the  center  of  the 


110  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


span.  From  F  set  off  the  length  of  the  common 
rafter  perpendicularly,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line  F 
G.  Connect  G  with  C  and  E  for  the  length  and 
position  of  the  main  hips.  Set  off  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter  on  the  right  gable  B  H,  and  draw  the 
ridge  line  H  I;  then  I  E  is  the  length  and  position  of 
the  right  gable  valley  rafter.  Set  off  the  length  of 
common  rafter  on  the  left-hand  gable  A  J  and  draw 
the  ridge  line  J  K;  then  K  C  is  the  length  and  posi- 
tion of  the  left-gable  valley.  Connect  K  D  for  the 
front-gable  valley.  Space  and  draw  the  rafters  as 
shown,  which  will  give  the  length  and  cut  of  every 
jack  in  the  front  elevation,  including  those  which  cut 
from  the  broken  hip  K  G  to  the  valley  K  D.  The 
line  K  G  is  also  the  length  of  the  broken  hip,  which 
stops  against  the  ridge  of  the  left  gable.  A  bevel 
set  in  any  of  the  angles  where  the  jacks  join  a  hip 
or  valley  will  give  bevel  across  the  back.  The  plumb 
cut  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter.  C  L 
shows  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  front 
gable. 

In  Fig.  81  is  shown  the  right  elevation  of  the  roof 
plan,  A  B  representing  the  length  of  plate  line,  C  D 
E  F  the  starting  points  of  the  hips  and  valleys  on 
the  right  side  of  plan,  while  C  and  F  are  the  starting 
points  of  the  main  hips.  From  C  and  F  set  off  the 
run  of  the  main  common  rafter  as  C  N  and  F  O. 
From  N  and  O  set  off  the  length  of  the  main  com- 
mon rafter,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines  N  G  and  O 
P.  Connect  G  and  P,  which  is  the  ridge  of  the  main 
roof.  Connect  G  C  and  F  P  for  the  main  hips.  Set 
off  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  rear 
gable  B  H  and  draw  the  ridge  line  H  I.  Set  off  the 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


Ill 


length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  front  gable  A  J 
and  draw  the  ridge  line  J  K.  From  the  center  of 
the  right  gable  set  off  the  length  of  the  common 
rafter,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line  L  M.  Draw  the 
valley  from  D  through  the  point  M,  continuing  it  to 
the  ridge  line  or  rear  gable,  which  is  the  nearest  place 
of  support.  Then  D  R  is  the  length  of  the  valley 
rafter  on  the  front  side  of  the  right  gable.  Connect 
M  E  for  the  valley  on  the  back  side  of  the  right 
gable.  C  G  is  the  main,  hip,  which  is  full  length. 


AC  DNOL  Ep  B 

RIGHT  SIDE 

Fig.  61.— Right  Elevation  of  Roof  Plan  Shown  in  Fig.  79. 

C  K  is  the  front  gable  valley,  and  the  jacks  are  cut 
from  the  ridge  line  J  K  to  the  valley  C  K,  also  from  the 
plate  C  D  to  the  main  hip  C  G,  and  from  the  ridge 
G  P  to  the  valley  D  M.  The  main  hip  P  F  is  broken 
at  I,  but  extends  to  the  valley  rafter  D  Rfora  proper 
place  of  support.  Jacks  are  cut  from  the  ridge  line 
I  H  and  the  valley  line  M  R  to  the  valley  M  E,  as 
shown.  The  dotted  portion  of  the  hip  line  P  F 
shows  that  if  the  hip  was  put  in  full  length  it  would 
necessitate  cutting  two  common  rafters  and  two 


112 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


jacks  on  the  rear  gable,  which  would  make  additional 
work  and  have  a  tendency  to  weaken  the  roof. 
Thus  the  length  of  every  rafter  in  the  right  elevation 
of  the  plan  has  been  shown,  and  as  the  bevels  are 
the  same  as  indicated  in  Figs.  79  and  80  further  ex- 
planation is  unnecessary. 

In  Fig.  82  is  shown  the  left  side  elevation  of  the 
roof,  in  which  A  B  represents  the  length  of  the  plate 
line.  CDF,  the  starting  points  of  the  hips  and 
valleys,  and  C  and  F  the  points  of  the  main  hips. 


p  G 


Fig.  82.— Left  Side  Elevation  of  Roof. 

From  C  and  F  set  off  the  run  of  the  main  common 
rafter,  as  C  D  and  F  O.  From  O  and  D  set  off  the 
length  of  main  common  rafter,  as  shown  by  the 
dotted  lines  O  P  and  D  G.  Connect  G  and  P  for  the 
main  ridge.  Draw  G  C  and  P  F  for  length  and 
position  of  main  hips.  Set  off  the  length  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  front  gable  A  J  and  draw  the 
ridge  line  J  K.  Set  off  the  length  of  common  rafter 
on  the  rear  gable  B  H  and  draw  the  ridge  line  H  I. 
Now  from  the  center  of  the  left  gable  set  off  the 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  113 

length  of  the  common  rafter,  as  shown  by  the  dotted 
line  L  M.  Connect  M  and  D  for  length  and  position 
of  valley  rafter  on  the  front  side  of  the  left  gable. 
F  I  will  be  the  length  of  the  valley  on  the  rear  gable. 
M  P  is  the  length  of  the  broken  hip  which  stops 
against  the  ridge  of  the  left  gable  at  M,  and  G  K  is 
the  length  of  the  broken  hip  which  stops  against  the 
ridge  of  the  front  gable  at  K.  The  jacks  are  cut 
from  the  ridge  line  H  I  to  the  rear  gable  valley  F  I  ; 
also  from  the  broken  hip  M  P  to  the  valley  M  D  and 
from  the  broken  hip  G  K  and  ridge  line  K  J  to  the 
plate  line  A  D.  The  length  of  the  common  rafter  on 
the  left  gable  is  shown  by  F  E.  This  completes  the 
left  side  elevation  and  shows  the  length  of  every  hip, 
valley  and  jack,  as  viewed  from  this  side  of  the  roof. 
The  next  diagram,  Fig.  83,  shows  the  rear  eleva- 
tion of  the  roof  ;  A  B  represents  the  length  of  the 
plate  line,  C  D  E  the  starting  points  of  hips  and 
valleys,  and  C  E  the  starting  points  of  the  main 
hips.  Set  off  the  run  of  the  main  common  rafter,  as 
E  F,  and  draw  the  length  of  the  common  rafter 
perpendicular,  as  shown  by  dotted  line  F  P.  Draw 
P  E  and  P  C  for  the  length  and  position  of  the  main 
hips.  Set  off  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on 
the  left  gable,  A  J,  and  draw  the  ridge  line  J  K.  Set 
off  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  right 
gable  B  H,  and  draw  the  ridge  line  H  I.  From  the 
center  of  the  rear  gable  set  off  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line  L  M. 
Connect  M  and  D  for  the  rear  gable  valley.  E  G 
shows  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  rear 
gable  ;  I  E  is  the  right  gable  valley.  The  broken 
hip  P  K  stops  against  the  ridge  of  the  left  gable  at 


114 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


K,  and  the  broken  hip  P  M  stops  at  the  ridge  of  the 
rear  gable  at  M.  The  jacks  are  cut  from  the  ridge 
line  H  I  to  the  valley  E  I  and  from  the  broken 
hips  M  P  and  P  K  to  the  rear  gable  valley  M  D. 
This  completes  the  rear  elevation  and  shows  the 
length  of  every  rafter  as  viewed  from  this  side  of  the 
roof.  It  will  be  noticed  in  Fig.  83  that  the  right 
gable  appears  to  the  left  hand  in  the  diagram  and  the 
left  gable  to  the  right.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that 


Fip.  83.— Rear  Elevation  of  Roof. 

as  we  view  the  front  elevation  of  the  roof,  Fig.  80,  we 
call  the  gables  right  and  left.  Now,  if  we  view  the 
roof  from  the  rear,  the  right  gable  will  be  to  our  left 
and  the  left  to  our  right,  as  shown  in  Fig.  83. 

AN    IMPORTANT    POINT. 

For  the  purpose  of  illustrating  an  important  point 
in  roof  framing  we  will  refer  to  Fig.  84,  which  repre- 
sents the  plan  of  a  roof  having  three  gables  of  the 
same  pitch,  but  the  front  gable  being  narrower  than 
the  other  two.  Let  ABCDEFGH  represent 
the  wall  plate  and  from  A  set  off  the  run  of  the  com- 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


115 


mon  rafter  to  I ;  square  up  the  rise  to  J,  and  connect 
A  and  J  for  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the 
main  part  of  the  roof.  Swing  the  common  rafter 
around  to  a  perpendicular  position,  as  shown  by  A  K 
on  the  ieft  gable.  Set  off  the  length  of  the  common 
rafter  on  the  right  gable  F  L,  and  connect  K  with  L 
for  the  ridge  line.  Next,  set  off  the  run  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  front  gable  E  M  ;  square  up  the 

G 


Fig.  84.— Roof  Having  Three  Gables  of  the  same  Pitch,  the   Front 
Gable  being  Narrower  than  the  other  Two. 

rise  M  N,  and  draw  E  N  for  the  length  of  the  com- 
mon rafter.  From  M  set  off  the  length  of  the  com- 
mon rafter  perpendicular  to  O  and  then  draw  the 
valley  from  E  through  the  point  O,  continuing  it  to 
the  ridge,  which  is  the  nearest  place  of  support  in  a 
self-supporting  roof.  It  is  a  common  practice  among 
mechanics  to  stop  both  valley  rafters  at  O,  but  this 
leaves  the  valleys  without  support  and  as  a  conse- 
quence the  roof  sags  and  gets  out  of  shape  even  be- 
fore the  carpenter  has  it  finished.  This  is  noticeable 


116  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

on  large  roofs,  where,  to  secure  the  greatest  strength 
in  the  framing  of  the  roof,  it  is  necessary  to  run  the 
first  valley  rafter  to  the  ridge,  as  shown  by  E  P,  and 
butt  the  second  valley  rafter  against  the  first,  as 
shown  by  BO.  E  P  is  the  length  of  the  valley  rafter 
which  joins  the  ridge  and  the  bevel  at  P  is  the  bevel 
across  the  back  of  the  same.  B  O  is  the  length  of 
left  valley  rafter  and  cuts  square  across  the  back. 
The  jacks  are  cut  from  the  ridge  to  the  valleys,  as 
shown.  A  bevel  set  in  the  angle  where  they  join  the 
valley  will  give  the  bevel  across  the  back.  The 
plumb  out  is  the  same  as  that  of 
the  common  rafter  shown  at  J.  To 
find  the  plumb  cut  of  the  valleys 
set  off  the  run  of  the  common  rafter 
on  the  front  gable  A  B,  Fig.  85; 
now,  at  right  angles  to  A  B  set  off 
the  run  of  common  rafter  from  B 
to  C,  and  draw  A  C  for  the  run  of 
the  valley.  From  C  square  up  the 
rise  of  valley  to  D  and  draw  b  A, 


which  will   give  the  length  of  the       Valley  Rafters. 
left  valley  the  same  as  B  O  in  Fig. 
84.  The  bevel  at  D,  Fig.  85,  is  the  plumb  cut  and  at  A 
the  bottom  cut.     The  plumb  cut  of  the  valley  E  P  is 
the  same  as  the  extension  of  the  rafter  to  the  ridge 
line  and  does  not  change  the  cuts. 

OCTAGON    HIP    AND    JACK    RAFTERS. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  problem  of  finding  the 
lengths  and  bevels  of  octagon  hips  and  jacks  by  the 
easy  system.  Referring  to  Fig.  86,  let  A  B  C  D  E 
and  F  represent  the  wall  plate  line,  F  G  being  the 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


117 


run  of  common  rafter,  G  H  the  rise  and  F  H  the 
length  of  common  rafter.  Next  swing  the  common 
rafter  round  to  a  perpendicular  position,  as  F  I.  Set 
off  half  the  side  of  the  octagon  A  J  and  square  up  the 
length  of  the  common  rafter  J  K.  Draw  K  I  for  the 
ridge  line  and  K  A  for  the  hip.  Space  and  draw  the 
jacks  perpendicularly  from  A  J  to  the  hip  as  shown. 
The  bevel  at  R  is  the  bevel  across  the  back  and  the 
plumb  cut  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter 
shown  at  H.  The  length  and  bevels  will  be  the  same 


Fig.  86. — Finding  the  Lengths  and   Bevels  of  Hips  and  Jacks  on 
an  Octagon  Roof. 

on  each  side  of  the  octagon,  hence  further  explana- 
tion of  Fig.  86  is  unnecessary. 

The  cuts  of  jacks  in  an  octagon,  hexagon  or  a 
polygon  of  any  description  may  be  found  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner.  Referring  to  Fig.  87,  let  A  B  rep- 
resent the  length  of  the  side,  and  from  the  center  set 
off  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  C  D.  Draw  A  D 
and  B  D  for  the  length  and  position  of  hips  Space 
the  jacks  on  the  line  A  B  and  draw  perpendicular  to 


118 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


the  hips  as  shown,  which  will  give  their  lengths.     A 

bevel  set  in  the  angle  at  E  will  give  the  bevel  across 

the  back,  the  down  bevel  being  the  same  as  that  of 

thj  common  rafter.    Fig.  87  refers  only  to  the  length 

and  bevel  of  the  jacks,  but  the  length  and  cuts  of  all 

the  rafters  in  any  regular  polygon  may  be  found  in 

the  following  manner  :     Referring  now  to  Fig.  88  let 

A  B  C  D  and   E  represent  four 

sides  of  an  octagon.     Set  off  the 

center  of    one  side  as   B  F,  and 

square  into  the  center  G  F, which 

is  the  run  of  the  common  rafter. 

Square    up    the    rise    G    H    and 

draw  F  H  for  the  length  of  the 

common  rafter.     The  bevel  at  H 

is  the    top    bevel,  and    at   F  the 

bottom  bevel.  G  E  being  the  run 

of    the  hip,  square  up  the  rise  G 

I  and  draw    E    1    for    length    of 

hip  rafter.     The  bevel  at  I  is  the 

top  bevel,  and  at  E  the  bottom 

bevel.     From   the  center  of   C  D 

set  off  the  length  of  common  rafter  ]  K,  which  should 

be  the  same  length  as  F  H.     Draw  K  C  and  K  D  for 

the    position    of    the    hip    rafters    for    finding   the 

length  and  bevel  of  the  jacks.     Space  the  jacks  on 

the   line  C  D  and    draw  perpendicular  to  the  hips; 

as  shown,  which   will  give  the  lengths.     The  bevel 

shown  at  L  is  the  bevel  across  the  back,  the  down 

bevel  being  the  same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter. 

JOINING    GABLES    DIAGONALLY. 

One  of  the  most  difficult  problems  in  roof  framing 
with  which  the  mechanic  has  to  contend — namely,  that 


Fig.  87  —Showing'  how 
to  find  the  Lengths 
and  Bevels  of  Jack 
Rafters  in  an  Octa- 
gon, Hexagon  or 
Polygon. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


119 


of  joining  a  gable  cornerways  or  diagonally  to  another 
gable — is  illustrated  in  Fig.  89.  This  method  is  fre 
quently  adopted  in  city  residences  to  produce  diver- 
sity in  design.  Let  A  B  C  D  E  F  G  represent  the 
wall  plate  lines  in  the  plan  ;  F  H,  the  run  of  the 
common  rafter  on  the  main  part  ;  H  I,  the  rise,  and 
F  I  the  length  of  the  common  rafter.  Transfer  F  I  to 

F  J  and  draw  J  K, 
which  represents 
the  main  ridge. 
From  the  center  of 
the  corner  gable 
square  up  the  rise 
of  the  common 
rafter  L  M,  and 
draw  A  M  for 
length  of  common 
rafter  on  the  cor- 
ner gable.  From 

c  j  D  C  square  up  to  N 

Fig.  88.-Diagiam  I.Iustrating  the  Method  what  the  main 
of  obtaining  the  Lengths  and  Cuts  of  all  common  rafter 
the  Rafters  in  any  Regular  Polygon. 

rises  in  the  part  of 

its  run  represented  by  L  C.  Then  L  N  will  be 
the  length  of  main  common  rafter  up  to  the 
point  where  the  left  valley  starts.  Transfer  L  N 
to  L  O,  which  is  the  starting  point  of  the  left  valley. 
From  O  set  off  O  P,  which  should  be  the  length  of  the 
dotted  line  L  G  and  of  the  commo-n  rafter  A  M. 
Square  up  G  R,  which  should  be  the  same  as  L  O. 
From  R  set  off  the  rise  of  the  common  rafter  on  the 
corner  gable  to  S,  which  is  the  same  as  L  M. 

From    S    square    up    the    length    of   the   common 


120 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


rafter  to  T,  which  is  the  same  distance  as  A  M. 
Connect  T  with  O  for  the  length  and  position  of  the 
left  valley.  Connect  T  with  P  for  the  length  and 
position  of  the  right  valley,  which  runs  from  the 
ridge  of  the  corner  gable  to  the  plate  of  the  corner 
gable.  Draw  P  G  for  the  length  and  position  of  the 
right  valley,  which  runs  from  the  plate  of  the  corner 


Fig.  89.— Framing:  Gables  which  Join  Diagonally- 

gable  to  the  main  plate.  Space  the  jacks  on  the 
main  ridge  and  draw  perpendicular  lines  as  shown. 
The  jacks  from  K  J  to  valley  O  T  are  the  jacks  in 
the  main  roof  The  jacks  from  O  S  to  the  valley  O 
T  are  the  jacks  on  the  left  side  of  the  corner  gable. 
The  valley  T  P  on  the  right  side  of  corner  gable  is 
but  little  longer  than  the  common  rafter  on  corner 
gable,  and  runs  so  nearly  straight  with  the  rafters  on 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


121 


the  main  roof  that  the  jacks  on  this  side  are  seldom 
needed  in  the  corner  gable  ;  but  in  case  they  are, 
space  them  between  S  P  and  draw  to  the  valley  T  P, 
which  will  give  the  length  and  bevel,  as  shown. 
Draw  the  jacks  from  the  valley  G  P  to  the  main  plate, 
which  will  give  the  length  and  cut  of  the  same.  The 
down,  bevel  of  the  jacks  will  be  the  same  as  that  of 
the  common  rafter. 

It  is  natural  for  one  to  think  the  valley  rafter  O  T 


Fig.  90.— Diagram  showing  Starting  Point  of  Valley  between  Gables 
Joining  Diagonally. 

should  start  from  the  point  C,  but  such  is  not  the 
case,  as  will  be  plainly  seen  "by  referring  to  Fig.  90, 
which  shows  that  the  valley  starts  at  O  on  the  line 
of  the  main  common  rafter,  and  comes  far  above  the 
point  C,  for  C  O  is  the  same  asC  N  in  Fig.  89. 

CURVED    OR    MOLDED    ROOFS. 

Having  presented  to  the  reader  a  practical  sys- 
tem for  almost  every  conceivable  form  of  straight 
work  in  roof  framing,  the  next  step  will  be  to 
show  an  easy  system  of  framing  curved,  or  molded, 
roofs,  as  they  are  sometimes  called.  Curved  roofs 
usually  take  the  form  of  concave,  convex  or  ogee.  An 


122 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


ogee  is  a  form  having  a  double  curve,  and  is  both  con- 
cave and  convex.  Fig.  91  shows  a  conical  tower  roof, 
the  rafters  being  of  the  concave  form.  Fig.  92  shows 
a  convex  mansard  roof.  Fig.  93  shows  an  ogee 
veranda  roof.  These  are  the  principal  forms, 


Fijr.  91.— Conical  Tower  Roof  with    Rafters    Concave  in  Form. 

of  curved  or  molded  rafters,  though  they  are 
variously  combined  and  applied.  The  lengths, 
bevels  and  shapes  are,  however,  developed  in 
much  the  same  manner,  and  when  once  it 
is  understood  how  to  develop  the  shape  in  one  form 
any  shape  desired  can  be  readily  worked  by  the 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


123 


same  method.  The  plan-  Fig.  94,  represents  the  corner 
portion  of  a  roof  with  ogee  rafters.  The  lines  A  B 
and  B  C  represent  the  wall  plates  and  D  E  and  D  F 
the  deck  plates.  A  D  is  the  run  of  common  rafter, 


FLOOR  JOIST 


Fig.  92.— A  Convex  Mansard  Roof. 

D  E  the  rise,  and  A  E  the  length  of  common  rafter  on 
the  working  line.  This  line  governs  the  pitch  of 
roof  and  the  bevels.  E  is  the  down  bevel  at  the  top 
and  A  the  bottom  bevel.  Connect  B  D  for  the  run 


124 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


of  the  hip,  square  up  the  rise,  D  G,  and  connect  B  G 
for  the  length  and  working  line  of  hip  rafter.  G  is 
the  down  bevel  at  the  top  and  B  the  bottom  bevel. 
To  lay  out  the  curved  rafter,  referring  now  to  Fig 
95,  set  off  the  run  A  D,  the  rise  D  E,  the  length  and 
work  line  A  E.  Draw  the  desired  curves,  as  shown. 
H  I  indicates  the  bottom  edge  of  the  rafter,  and  J  H 
shows  the  width  of  lumber  necessary  for  making  the 


Fig.  93.— An  Ogee  Veranda  Roof. 

curved  rafter.  To  economize  in  the  width  of  luinoer, 
the  convex  portion  above  the  work  line  may  be 
worked  out  separately  and  nailed  on.  As  a  guide  in 
laying  out  the  corresponding  curves  in  the  hip 
rafter  divide  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the 
work  line  into  any  number  of  equal  spaces,  as  i,  2,  3, 
&c.  From  these  points  on  the  work  line  plumb  up 
or  down,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  the  curve  line  of  the 
rafter. 

Now  we  are  ready  to  develop  the  shape  of  the  hip. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


125 


Referring  to  Fig.  96,  set  off  the  run  B  D,  the  rise 
D  G,  and  connect  B  G  for  the  length  and  work  line 
of  the  hip.  Divide  the  work  line  of  the  h>p  into  the 
same  number  of  equal  spaces  as  numbered  on  the 
work  line  of  the  common  rafter  i,  2,  3,  &c.,  and 


Fig.  94.-  Plan  of  Corner  of  a  Koof  with  Ogee  Rafters. 

plumb  up  or  down,  as  the  case  may  be,  the  same  dis- 
tances as  shown  on  the  common  rafter.  Then  a  line 
traced  from  B  through  these  points  to  G  will  be  the 
profile  of  the  hip  rafter.  Fig.  97  represents  the 
corner  portion  of  a  roof  having  two  pitches.  In  this 
the  angle  and  run  of  the  hip  are  changed,  without 


126 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


changing  the  method  of  finding  the  profiles  of  the 
rafters.  Take  the  run,  rise  and  length  of  common 
rafter  on  one  side  of  the  hip,  and  draw  the  desired 
shape.  Then  find  the  profile  of  the  common  rafter 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  hip  by  dividing  the  work 
line  into  the  same  number  of  spaces  and  proceeding 
as  before.  The  run  of  the  hip  being  changed,  we 
obtain  a  different  length  for  the  work  line.  When 
this  is  divided  into  the  same  number  of  equal  spaces 
as  were  the  common  rafters,  and  the  curved  lines 
traced  through  the 
points,  we  obtain  the 
shape  of  hip  which 
will  correspond  to  the 
profiles  of  the  com- 
mon rafters  from 
either  side.  In  roofs 
of  two  pitches  it  is 
evident  that  there 
must  be  two  sets  and 
two  bevels  of  com- 
mon and  jack  rafters. 
Now  in  curved  roofs 
the  lengths  and  bev- 
els may  be  found  by  following  the  work  lines  of  the 
common  rafters,  which  maybe  drawn  straight,  as  has 
been  shown  in  Fig.  95. 

The  lengths  and  bevels  of  the  jacks  for  the  dif- 
ferent pitches  may  be  found  as  shown  in  Figs.  62,  63 
or  64.  Again,  it  is  evident  that  a  jack  rafter  must  be 
the  same  shape  as  the  common  rafter  on  the  same 
side  of  roof  from  the  bottom,  or  plate,  up  to  the 
point  where  it  joins  the  hip.  Hence  its  length  may 


Fig.  95.— Laying  out  a  Curved  Rafter. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


127 


be  found  in  the  following  manner  by  measuring  on 
the  work  line  of  the  common  rafter. 

Referring  now  to  Fig.  98,  A  D  is  the  run  of  the 
common  rafter,  D  E  the  rise  and  A  E  the  length  and 
work  line.  To  find  the  length  of  jack,  set  off  the  run 
of  jack  A  B  and  square  up  the  rise  B  C  to  the  work 
line  of  the  common  rafter;  then  A  C  is  the  length  of 
jack  on  the  work  line.  This  method  is  very  simple, 
yet  as  it  is  a  new  and  novel  way  of  finding  the  length 
of  jack  rafters  it  will  be  well  to  point  out  a  common 


Fig.  96.— Developing  the  Shape  of  the  Hips. 

mistake  which  the  inexperienced  might  chance  to 
make.  Bear  in  mind  that  A  E  is  the  length  of  com- 
mon rafter.  B  C  is  not  the  length  of  jack,  as  some 
might  suppose,  but  the  rise  of  jack  ;  A  C  is  the  length 
of  jack.  The  down  bevel  is  the  same  as  that  of  the 
common  rafter.  To  find  the  bevel  across  the  back, 
set  off  from  D  the  length  of  common  rafter  to  F, 
and  connect  F  with  A,  which  shows  the  work  line  of 
the  hip.  Now  continue  the  line  B  C  to  the  work 


128 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


line  of  the  hip,  and  the  bevel  at  G  will  be  the  bevel 
across  the  top  of  jack.  B  G  is  also  the  length  of 
jack,  and  will  be  found  to  be  the  same  as  A  C. 

When  the  bevel  of  the  jacks  is  known  all  that  is 
necessary  is  to  square  up  the  rise  of  each  jack  from 
the  base  line  of  common  rafter  A  D  to  the  work  line 
A  E  and  take  the  length  from  A  to  the  point  where  the 


B  C 

Fig.  97.— Plan  of  Corner  Portion  of  a  Roof  having  Two  Pitches. 

rise  of  each  jack  joins  the  work  line  of  common 
rafter,  as  shown.  Many  lines  and  much  time  may  be 
saved  in  finding  the  bevels  of  jack  rafters  on  roofs  of 
different  pitches  by  using  the  plan  shown  in  Fig.  60. 
which  is  the  simplest  and  easiest  of  all  to  remember 
and  is  applicable  to  roofs  of  any  pitch. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


129 


ROOF    FRAMING    BY    THE    STEEL    SQUARE. 

The  lengths  and  cuts  of  any  rafter,  hip,  valley  or 
jack  on  roofs  of  any  pitch  may  be  easily  found  by  a 
proper  application  of  the  steel  square  and  2-foot  rule. 
There  are  a  few  simple   facts  which,  if  remembered, 
will  serve  to   make    hip    and  valley  roof  framing  so 
plain  and  easily  understood  that   no  one  need  have 
any  difficulty   in   finding 
the  length  and  cut  of  any 
rafter.     The    pitch    of    a 
roof  is  always  designated 
by  the  number  of  inches 
it   rises   to  the  foot  run, 
hence  the  cut  of  a  com- 
mon   rafter  is  always  12 
for   the  bottom   cut  and 
for  the  top  cut  is  the  rise 
of  the  roof  to  the   foot. 
The  cut  of  a  correspond- 
ing hip  or  valley  of  equal 
pitch  is  always  17  for  the 
bottom  cut  and    for  the 
top   cut   the    rise    of   the 
common    rafter    to     the 
foot.  Thus  if  12  and  8  cut 
the   common    rafter,    17 

and  8  will  cut  the  hip  or  valley.  The  top  bevel  of  a 
jack  rafter  is  always  12  on  the  tongue  of  a  square  and 
the  length  of  the  common  rafter  for  a  foot  run  on 
the  blade.  The  blade  gives  the  cut.  In  other  words, 
the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  tongue  and  the 
length  on  the  blade  will  always  give  the  top  bevel  of 
jack  rafters  on  roofs  of  equal  pitch.  The  plumb  cut 


D 


Fig.  98.— Finding  Lengths  of  Jack 
Bafters. 


130 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE, 


or  down  bevel  of  a  jack  is  always  the  same  as  that  of 
the  common  rafter. 

Referring  now  to  Fig.  99,  to  find  the  length  of  a 
common  rafter,  take  the  run  on  the  blade  of  a  square 
and  the  rise  on  the  tongue,  measure  across,  and  we 
have  the  length.  For  example,  if  the  run  of  a  rafter 
is  12  feet  and  the  rise  8  feet,  take  12  inches  on  the 
blade  and  8  inches  on  the  tongue  and  measure  across, 
which  will  give  the  length,  14  7-16  inches,  equal  to  14 
feet  5^  inches,  12  and  8  giving  the  cuts.  The  blade 


Fig.  99.— Finding  Length  of  a  Common  Rafter  by  means  of  the 
SteelSquaie. 

gives  the  bottom  cut  and  the  tongue  the  top  cut.  To 
find  the  length  of  a  corresponding  hip  or  valley,  take 
the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  both  blade  and 
tongue  and  measure  across,  which  will  give  the  run 
of  hip  or  valley,  which  is  17  inches.  To  avoid  con- 
fusion by  cross  lines,  refer  now  to  Fig.  100.  Take  17 
inches  on  the  blade  and  the  rise,  8  inches,  on  the 
tongue  and  measure  across,  which  gives  the  length  of 
hip  or  valley  18  13-16  inches,  equal  to  18  feet  9^ 
inches,  17  and  8  giving  the  cuts.  The  blade  gives  the 
bottom  cut  and  the  tongue  the  top  cut  To  find  th§ 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


131 


bevel  across  the  top  of  jacks,  take  the  length  of  com- 
mon rafter,  14  7-16  inches,  on  the  blade  and  the  run,  12 
inckes,  on  the  tongue,  and  the  distance  across  also 
represents  the  length  of  hip  or  valley.  This  merely 
changes  the  position  of  hip  or  valley  in  order  to  ob- 
tain the  bevel  across  the  top  of  jacks,  which  is  12 
on  the  tongue  and  14  7-16  on  the  blade.  The  blade 
gives  the  cut.  The  plumb  cut  or  down  bevel  is  tha 
same  as  that  of  the  common  rafter. 

The  lengths  of  the  jacks  may  be  obtained  in  the 


Fig.  100  —Finding  Lengt  h  of  Hip  or  Valley  Rafter. 

following  manner  :  Take  the  run  of  common  rafter 
on  the  blade,  12  inches,  and  the  length,  14  7-16  inches, 
on  the  tongue,  and  lay  a  straight  edge  across,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  101.  Space  the  jacks  on  the  blade  of 
the  square,  which  represents  the  run  of  common 
rafter,  and  measure  perpendicularly  from  the  tongue 
to  the  straight  edge  on  the  line  of  each  jack  for  their 
length. 

The  lengths  of  hips,  valleys  and  jacks  on  roofs  of 
unequal  pitches  may  be  found  in  the  same  manner 
by  taking  figures  on  the  blade  and  tongue  of  a 


182 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


square  which  will  represent  the  different  pitches. 
For  example,  suppose  a  roof  hips  9  feet  on  the  right 
side  of  the  hip  and  13  feet  on  the  left  and  has  a  rise 
of  8  feet,  what  will  be  the  lengths  and  bevels  of  the 
rafters?  Referring  to  Fig.  102,  take  13  inches  on  the 
blade  of  a  square  and  8  inches  on  the  tongue  and 
measure  across.  This  gives  15^  inches,  equal  to  15 
feet  3  inches,  which  is  the  length  of  the  common 
rafter  on  the  left  side  of  hip.  Now,  13  inches  on  the 


Fig.  101- 


-Obtaining   the  Lengths    of   Jack  Rafters  with  the 
Steel  Square. 


blade  and  8  inches  on  the  tongue  give  the  cuts,  the 
tongue  giving  the  top  cut  and  the  blade  the  bottom 
cut  fitting  the  plate.  Now  take  the  length  of  com- 
mon rafter  on  the  left  side,  15^  inches,  on  the  blade, 
and  the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  right  side 
of  hip,  9  inches,  on  the  tongue  and  the  blade  will  give 
the  cut  across  the  back  of  the  jack  rafters  on  the  left 
side  of  the  hip.  The  lengths  of  the  jacks  may  be 
found  in  the  following  manner  :  Divide  the  length  of 
common  rafter  by  the  number  of  spaces  for  jacks. 
This  will  give  the  length  of  the  shortest  jack  and  the 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


second  will  be  twice  that  length,  the  third  three 
times,  and  so  on  till  the  required  number  are  found. 
Each  side  of  the  hip  may  be  worked  in  the  same 
manner  till  ail  the  different  lengths  and  cuts  are 
found.  The  whole  thing  boiled  down  results  in  a 
few  simple  facts  :  i,  that  the  run  of  the  common 
rafter  on  the  tongue  of  a  square  and  the  length  of 
the  common  rafter  on  the  blade  will  always  give 
the  bevel  across  the  back  of  a  jack  rafter  on  roofs 
of  equal  pitch  5-2,  if  the  roofs  are  of  different 


i  i  i  i  i  i  i  i 


Fijr.   102.—  Finding    Lengths   and     Bevels    of 
Bafters  on  Roofs  of  Unequal  Pitches. 

pitches  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  blade 
and  the  run  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  hip  or  valley  on  the  tongue  will  give  the 
cut  of  the  jack  on  the  side  of  the  roof  from  which 
the  length  of  the  common  rafter  was  taken.  The 
blade  gives  the  cut.  Hence  the  bevels  of  jack 
rafters  on  roofs  of  different  pitches  may  be  found  as 
easily  as  on  roofs  of  equal  pitch. 

The  nex+  step  will  be  to  show  a  simple  plan  for  ob- 
taining the  length   and  cuts   of    the    hip    rafter   by 


134 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


means  of  the  square  and  2-foot  rule.  As  the  run  of 
common  rafter  on  the  left  side  of  hip  is  13  inches  and 
on  the  right  side  9  inches,  we  will  take  figures  on  the 
blade  and  tongue  of  a  square  which  will  represent 
the  runs  of  the  common  rafters.  Referi  Ing  to  Fig.  103, 
take  13  inches  on  the  blade  and  9  inches  on  the  tongue 
and  measure  across  and  we  have  15  10-12  inches, 
equal  to  15  feet  10  inches,  the  run  of  the  hip  rafter. 
Now  take  the  run  of  the  hip,  15  10-12  inches,  on  the 


IM 


Fig.  103.—  Obtain, ng  Length  and  Cuts  of  Hip 
Rafter  by  means  of  Steel  Square  and  Two- 
Foot  Rule. 

blade  and  the  rise  of  the  roof,  8  inches,  on  the  tongue, 
and  measure  across  and  we  have  the  length  of  the 
hip  rafter,  17^  inches,  equal  to  17  feet  9  inches.  Now, 
8  inches  on  the  tongue  and  15  10-12  on  the  blade  will 
give  the  cuts.  The  tongue  gives  the  down  bevel  at 
the  top  and  the  blade  the  bottom  cut  fitting  the 
plate. 

ROOF     FRAMING    WITHOUT    DRAWINGS. 

The  system  to  which  we  shall  now  refer  is  one  by 
which    the    lengths  of  common  rafters,  hips,  valleys 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


135 


and  jacks,  with  all  their  different  bevels,  on  roofs  of 
equal  pitch,  may  be  easily  found  without  the  aid  of 
drawings.  It  is  so  simple  that  any  one  can  under- 
stand it  and  find  the  lengths  and  cuts  in  less  time 
than  it  takes  to  describe  the  operation.  The  system 
consists  of  a  table,  given  below,  from  which  the 
lengths  and  cuts  of  any  rafter  may  be  determined  at 
once  : 

Rafter  Table. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

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2 

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0 

1 

fl  * 

IS 

h 

1 

5 

P 

$  1 

|  w 

i~ 

s 

£ 

c  •  - 

a  g 

£*  2 

M 

fi 

6" 

6* 

5 

i 

z 

Inches. 

Feet. 

Feet. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

6 

1.12 

1.50 

12  and    6 

17  and    6 

13^  and  12 

7 

1.16 

1.58 

12  and    7 

17  and    7 

13%  and  12 

8 

1.20 

1.56 

12  and    8 

17  and    8 

14%  and  12 

9 

1.25 

1.60 

12  and    9 

17  and    9 

15     and  12 

10 

1.30 

1.64 

12  and  10 

17  and  10 

15%  and  12 

12 

1.42 

1.73 

12  and  12 

17  and  12 

17     and  12 

1.") 

1.60 

1.88 

12  and  15 

17  and  15 

191^  and  12 

18 

1.80 

2.07 

12  and  18 

17  and  18 

21%  and  12 

Column  i  shows  the  pitch  of  roofs  in  the  number 
of  inches  rise  to  the  foot  run.  Column  2  shows  the 
length  of  common  rafter  to  a  foot  run.  Column  3 
shows  the  length  of  a  hip  or  valley  corresponding  to 
a  foot  run  of  the  common  rafter.  Column  4  shows 
the  figures  to  take  on  the  square  for  the  top  and  bot- 
tom cuts  of  the  common  rafter — namelv,  12  for  ttv: 


136  THE    BUILDERS'    GUIDE. 

bottom  cut,  and  for  the  top  cut  the  number  of  inches 
the  common  rafter  rises  to  the  foot  run.  Column 
5  shows  what  figures  to  take  on  the  square  for  the 
top  and  bottom  cuts  of  a  corresponding  hip  or  valley, 
which  is  always  17  for  the  bottom  cut  and  the  num- 
ber of  inches  the  common  rafter  rises  to  the  foot  run 
for  the  top  cut.  Column  6  shows  what  figures  to 
take  on  the  square  for  the  top  bevel  of  the  jack  raft- 
ers, which  is  always  12  on  the  tongue  of  a  square 
and  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  for  a  foot  run 
on  the  blade.  The  blade  gives  the  cut*  The  plumb 
cut  or  down  bevel  is  always  the  same  as  that  of  the 
common  rafter. 

To  avoid  a  complication  of  fractions  the  figures 
given  in  columns  2  and  3  are  in  feet  and  decimals. 
To  find  the  length  of  common  rafters,  hips,  valleys 
and  jacks,  it 'is  only  necessary  to  multiply  the  run  by 
the  figures  given  corresponding  to  the  pitch. 

We  will  now  give  a  practical  example  showing 
how  to  find  the  lengths  of  rafters  by  means  of  the 
table. 

Example. — What  will  be  the  length  of  rafters  on  a 
building  16  feet  wide,  with  roof  of  7  inches  pitch, 
hipped  to  the  center  and  rafters  placed  16  inches 
from  centers  ? 

Analysis. — The  run  of  the  common  rafter  is  one- 
half  the  width  of  the  building,  which  is  8  feet.  Mul- 
tiplying the  run  by  the  length  of  rafter  for  i  foot, 
y-inch  pitch,  column  2  of  the  table,  and  pointing  off 
the  product  as  in  multiplication  of  decimals,  we  have 
the  length  of  rafter  in  feet  and  a  decimal  of  a  foot. 
The  decimal  must  be  multiplied  by  12  to  reduce  it  to 
i-aches. 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  137 

Operation — 1.16  x  8  =  9.28  feet.  0.28  x  12  =3.36 
inches.  Thus  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  is  9 
feet  3.36  inches.  The  0.36  is  a  decimal  of  an  inch,  and 
if  great  accuracy  is  desired  it  may  be  called  ^  inch. 
The  table  is  made  to  give  the  length  in  full,  so  that 
very  slight  decimals  may  be  disregarded  altogether. 
The  corresponding  hip  or  valley  may  be  found  as 
follows:  1.53  x  8  =  12.24  feet.  0.24  x  12  =  2. 88  inches. 
The  decimal  o  88  may  be  called  ^  inch.  Thus  the 
length  of  the  hip  would  be  12  feet  2^  inches. 

If  the  rafters  are  placed  16  inches  from  centers  the 
run  of  the  first  jack  will  be  16  inches.  Taking  the 
same  figures  in  the  table  as  those  to  find  the  common 
rafter  and  multiplying  by  16  inches,  we  have  as  fol- 
lows • 

1.16  x   16  =  18.56 

The  decimal  0.56  may  be  called  ^  inch.  Thus  the 
length  of  the  first  jack  would  be  18)^  inches,  the  sec- 
ond twice  that,  the  third  three  times,  and  so  on  till 
the  required  number  is  found.  In  complicated  roofs 
the  table  may  be  used  to  great  advantage  in  connec- 
tion with  the  plan.  When  used  in  this  way  only  one 
diagram  showing  the  runs  of  the  rafters  is  needed,  as 
the  lengths  of  all  the  rafters  may  be  very  quickly 
figured  and  set  down  on  the  plan  and  the  required 
bevels  may  be  taken  from  the  table.  Fig.  104  shows 
the  plan  of  a  roof  16  x  24  feet,  with  wing  12x8  feet. 
Roof  to  be  8  inches  to  the  foot  pitch  and  rafters 
placed  2  feet  from  centers.  The  lengths  of  rafters  in 
this  plan  figured  by  the  table  are  as  follows  : 

For  the  common  rafter,  main  part, 
1.20  x  8  =  9.60  feet.     0.60  x  12  =  7.20  inches. 


138 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


Length    of    common    rafter    is    therefore   9    feet 
inches. 

For  the  hip  rafter,  main  part, 
1.56  x  8  =  12.48  feet.     0.48  x  12  =  5  76  inches. 
The   length    of   hip    rafter  is  therefore   12   feet   5 
inches. 

For  the  first  jack,  main  part, 
1.20  x  2  =  2.40  feet.     0.40  x  12  =  4.80  inches. 


Fig.  104.— Showing  how  a  Plan  of  a  Ro->f  can  be  used  in 
Connection  with  Rafter  Table. 

The  length  of  first  jack  is  2  feet  4^  inches  ;  the 
length  of  the  second  jack  is  4  feet  9^  inches,  and  the 
length  of  the  third  jack  is  7  feet  2^  inches. 

For  the  hip  rafter  on  the  wing: 

1.56  x  6  =  9.36  feet.     0.36  x  12  =  4.32  inches. 
The  length  of  hip  rafter  is  therefore  9  feet  4^  inches 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  139 

Thus  we  have  computed  the  different  lengths  of  all 
the  rafters  necessary  to  figure  in  the  plan,  as  all 
rafters  of  the  same  run  will  be  the  same  length,  these 
being  readily  seen  in  the  plan.  As  the  latter  shows 
the  lengths  of  the  principal  different  rafters  it  is  un- 
necessary to  represent  all  those  which  are  of  the 
same  length,  although  it  is  a  good  plan  in  actual 
practice.  By  this  method  one  can  see  at  a  glance 
just  where  every  rafter  belongs,  as  well  as  noting  in- 
stantly all  of  the  same  length.  It  is  usually  neces- 
sary to  figure  the  lengths  of  only  a  few,  as  will  be 
seen  by  referring  to  the  plan.  The  valley  rafter  on 
the  left  side  of  the  wing  should  be  the  same  length 
as  the  main  hip;  then  it  will  reach  to  the  main  ridge, 
the  only  place  of  support  in  a  self-supporting  roof. 
The  jacks  which  cut  from  hip  to  valley  on  this  side 
will  each  be  the  same  length,  which  is  4  feet  9^ 
inches,  the  length  of  the  second  jack,  as  shown  in 
the  plan.  The  valley  on  the  right  side  of  the  wing 
will  be  the  same  length  as  the  hip  on  the  end  of  the 
wing.  The  common  rafter  on  the  wing  will  be  the 
same  length  as  the  third  jack  on  the  main  part.  It 
is  easy  to  see  that  the  length  of  any  rafter  on  roofs 
of  equal  pitch  may  be  readily  found  by  this  method. 

LAYING    OUT    RAFTERS. 

In  laying  out  rafters,  it  is  very  important  to  set  off 
the  length  on  the  work  line,  as  deviations  from  this 
rule  will  often  lead  to  mistakes.  The  lines  indicat- 
ing the  run  and  rise  of  a  rafter  are  easily  traced,  but 
the  work  line  for  the  length  of  a  rafter  is  sometimes 
lost  to  sight,  particularly  in  cutting  jack  rafters. 
The  framer  must  never  lose  the  work  line  in  cutting 


140 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


a  rafter;  if  he  does,  he  is  like  a  mariner  at  sea  with- 
out a  compass  or  a  ship  without  a  rudder.  The 
work  line  is  an  important  part  in  obtaining  the 
lengths  of  rafters,  as  will  be  shown. 

In  roofs  which  have  a  projection  of  the  rafter  for 
the  cornice,  the  back  of  the  rafter  rises  above  the 
level  of  the  plate  whatever  thickness  may  be  allowed 
on  the  rafter  for  the  support  of  the  cornice.  Refer- 


Fig.  105  —Diagram  Showing  Importance  of  Work  Line  in 
Laying  out  Rafters. 


ring  to  Fig.  105,  A  B  represents  the  run  of  a  common 
rafter,  B  C  the  rise,  and  A  C  the  length  and  work 
line.  Projections  for  the  cornice  must  be  added 
from  the  corner  of  the  plate  at  A.  Now  suppose  we 
square  up  from  the  corner  of  the  plate  at  A  to  D,  the 
back  of  the  rafter,  and  measure  the  length  to  E  the 
same  as  on  the  line  A  C.  Now  if  we  make  the  plumb 
cut  at  E,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  line,  we  find  our 
rafter  too  short,  as  is  plainly  shown  in  the  diagram. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


141 


Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  work  line  is  an  essential 
point  in  laying  out  rafters. 

We  will  now  trace  the  work  line  in  a  jack  rafter 
from  the  plate  to  the  top  bevel,  as  this  is  the  place 
many  mechanics  are  at  a  loss  as  to  the  proper  point 
to  which  to  measure. 

Referring  to  Fig.  106,  we  can  easily  trace  the  work 
line  and  the  lines  forming  the  cut  of  the  jack  rafter. 
The  work  line  is 
represented  by  A 
C,  the  plumb  line 
or  down  bevel  by 
D  B',  and  is  al- 
ways the  same  as 
the  down  bevel 
of  the  common 
rafter.  To  find 
the  bevel  across 
the  back  of  the 
rafter  draw  an- 
other plumb  line 
the  thickness  of 
the  rafter  from 
the  cutting  line 

and  measured  square  from  it,  as  C  E.  Square  across 
the  back  of  the  rafter  to  F  ;  connect  F  with  D,  and 
the  lines  to  which  to  cut  are  F  D  B'.  The  proper 
point  to  which  to  measure  on  the  line  A  C  is  from  A 
to  the  scratch  mark  half  way  between  the  two  plumb 
lines,  this  being  the  center  of  the  rafter  in  thickness. 
In  actual  practice  this  little  point  need  not  be  con- 
sidered, and  for  convenience  in  measuring  the  length 
may  be  taken  from  A  to  C.  So  slight  a  deviation  in 


Fig.  106.— Diagram  Showing  Work  Line  in  a 
Jack  Rafter. 


142  THE    BUILDERS'    GUIDE. 

the  true  length  of  a  jack  rafter  does  not  cut  anv 
figure  in  framing  or  ever  appear  noticeable,  from  the 
fact  that  jack  rafters  can  be  moved  forward  or  back- 
ward a  little  on  the  plate  and  hip  and  if  they  are  all 
framed  by  the  same  rule  will  be  of  uniform  distance 
apart. 

We  are  instructed  by  some  to  deduct  half  the 
thickness  of  the  hip  or  valley  rafter  in  setting  off  the 
length  of  jacks.  This  is  a  point  which  may  be  disre- 
garded, especially  when  hip  and  valley  rafters  are 
only  2  inches  thick.  It  is  evident  that  if  we  lay 
out  a  jack  rafter  setting  off  the  length  on  the  side 
which  has  the  long  corner  of  the  bevel,  it  will  be  a 
little  more  than  half  the  thickness  of  the  rafter  short 
when  the  bevel  is  cut. 

Therefore,  if  jacks  are  cut  according  to  the  work 
line  in  Fig.  106,  they  will  be  near  enough  for  all 
practical  purposes  in  the  usual  order  of  building  anu 
without  making  any  deduction  in  length  for  the 
thickness  of  hip  and  valley  rafters.  When  roofs  have 
a  ridge  pole  deduct  half  its  thickness  from  the 
length  of  the  common  rafter.  Aside  from  this,  it  is 
seldom  necessary  to  make  any  reduction  in  the 
lengths  of  rafters,  as  shown  on  the  work  lines  in  the 
plans. 

RAISING    RAFTERS. 

It  is  as  important  to  know  how  to  properly  put 
up  the  frame  work  of  a  roof  as  it  is  to  know  how  to 
lay  it  off  correctly.  First  see  that  the  plates  are 
straight  and  the  angles  true,  then  set  up  the  deck  or 
ridge  on  stanchions  the  proper  hight  ;  next  put  up 
all  the  common  rafters  which  will  not  interfere  with 
hips  and  valleys.  Many  mechanics  advocate  raising 


THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  143 

the  hips  and  valleys  first,  but  practical  experience 
will  prove  that  this  is  a  great  mistake.  Put  up  first 
all  the  common  rafters  that  can  be  raised  conven- 
iently. There  is  always  a  ready  way  to  plumb  a  pair 
of  common  rafters,  and  if  the  common  rafters  are 
plumb  they  will  square  up  the  roof  ready  for  hips 
and  valleys,  which,  being  on  an  angle  with  the  plates, 
are  often  very  bothersome  to  set  to  the  required 
angle.  They  are  also  troublesome  to  plumb  up, 
especially  when  they  are  the  first  rafters  raised.  By 
raising  the  common  rafters  first  the  deck  or  ridge  is 
brought  into  the  proper  position  for  the  hips  and  val- 
leys and  the  trouble  of  squaring  and  plumbing  the 
hips  and  valleys  is  much  less.  After  raising  the  hips 
and  valleys  stay  them  straight  and  finally  put  in  the 
jacks,  being  careful  not  to  spring  the  hips  and  valleys 
when  nailing  the  jacks. 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


144 


MITERINQ   PLANCEERS,  MOLDINGS,  &c. 

As  the  art  of  making  a  common  miter  joint  is  uni- 
versally understood  by  all  mechanics,  an  explanation 
of  the  common  miter  is  unnecessary.  We  will,  there- 
fore, explain  the  methods  of  making  some  of  the 
most  complicated  and  difficult  miters  which  fre- 
quently come  up  in  the  actual  practice  of  carpentry. 
Fig.  107  shows  the  elevation  of  a  roof  having  three 
gables,  and  it  is  required  to  miter  the  level  planceer 

A  B  with  the  gable 
planceer  B  C.  To 
many  this  seems  like 
a  difficult  problem  ; 
yet  if  one  will  con- 
sider the  roof  plan 
for  a  moment,  he  will 
see  that  the  proper 
figures  on  the  square 
to  make  the  required 

miter  may   be   taken    directly   from   the    roof    plan, 
which  gives  the  bevels  for  cutting  the  rafters. 

To  cut  the  bevel  on  the  planceer  A  B  use  the  same 
figures  on  the  square  that  make  the  bevel  across  the 
top  of  jacks,  but  reverse  the  cut.  Thus,  if  17  on 
blade  and  12  on  tongue  cuts  the  jack  rafters,  the 
blade  gives  the  cut  of  the  jack  and  the  tongue  the 
miter  line  for  the  planceer.  The  reason  for  reversing 
the  cut  is  because  the  planceer  A  B  runs  in  a  direc- 
tion exactly  opposite  the  rafters. 


THE    BUILDF.RS'    GUIDE.  145 

The  same  figures  will  also  miter  the  sheeting  in 
the  valley.  Now,  the  planceer  B  C  which  goes  up  the 
gable  runs  parallel  with  the  rafters,  hence  the  same 
figures  which  give  the  cut  for  the  jacks  will  give  the 
cut  for  this,  which,  in  the  present  case,  are  17  on  the 
blade  and  12  on  the  tongue,  the  blade  giving  the 
cut.  Or,  referring  to  Fig.  107,  B  G  and  D  G  show  the 
position  and  length  of  valley  rafters,  and  the  bevel 
at  B  is  the  bevel  for  cutting  the  planceer  A  B,  while 
that  at  J,  which  is  the  bevel  for  jack  rafter,  is  the 
bevel  for  cutting  the  planceer  B  C,  which  goes  up 
the  gable.  The  junction  of  the  two  . 
gable  planceers  C  D  and  E  D  at  D 
forms  another  kind  of  miter  joint. 
In  this  the  planceer  on  both  gables 
cuts  the  same,  and  the  cut  is  the 
same  as  the  bevel  which  cuts  the 
jacks,  shown  at  D.  This  bevel  is  c' \/" 
also  the  same  as  the  one  shown  at  J.  FIR.  108 . —Diagr 

The  planceers  A  B  and  B  C  n,ust  . 

necessarily  be  of  different  widths, 
the  gable  planceer  being  the  narrower.  To  find 
the  width  the  gable  planceer  must  be  to  match 
the  level  planceer,  draw  the  width  of  level  plan- 
ceer A  B,  representing  the  pitch  of  roof,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  108.  Square  down  from  A  to  C, 
the  rise  of  planceer,  and  B  C  will  be  the  width  of 
gable  planceer  corresponding  to  A  B.  To  obtain 
the  miter  line  for  mitering  the  fascia  and  crown 
molding  at  B,  draw  two  parallel  level  lines  and  two 
parallel  pitch  lines  of  the  common  rafter,  keeping 
both  sets  of  lines  the  same  distance  apart,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  109.  Connect  the  opposite  angles  where  the 


146  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

lines  cross  each  other,  as  shown  by  A  B,  and  this  will 
give  the  required  miter.  The  figures  for  this  may  be 
found  by  placing  the  blade  of  the  square  on  the  line 
A  C  and  tongue  on  A  B.  The  tongue  gives  the  cut 
If  the  fascia  stands  square  with  the  rafters  on  the 
line  A  B,  Fig.  107,  then  a  square  miter  will  make  the 
joint  which  connects  the  level  fascia  A  B  with  the 
gable  fascia  A  F.  But  now  suppose  the  fascia  on 
line  A  B  stands  plumb,  as  it  frequently  does,  and 
should  on  a  roof  of  this  kind,  then  a  different  cut  is 
required.  In  this  case  cut  the  level  fascia  on  a 

square  miter,  but  for 
the  gable  fascia  cut 
across  the  edge  of 
the  board  on  the 
same  bevel  as  for  a 
jack,  and  cut  the 
plumb  line  the  same 
as  that  of  the  corn- 
Fig.  109.— Method  of  Obtaining  Miter  Line  mon  rafter, 
for  Fascia  and  Crown  Molding. 

Having  shown 

how  to  properly  miter  the  planceer  and  fascia, 
we  will  next  take  the  crown  molding.  The  miter 
for  moldings  cannot  be  accurately  laid  off  from 
the  square  because  it  cannot  be  properly  applied 
to  them ;  hence  the  best  way  to  miter  moldings 
is  by  means  of  the  miter  box.  As  almost  every  one 
knows  how  to  make  the  common  miter  box  I 
will  not  go  into  the  details  of  manufacturing  it, 
but  explain  the  methods  of  making  cuts  in  it  for 
the  purpose  of  mitering  moldings  for  some  of  the 
difficult  joints  which  frequently  come  up  in  actual 
practice. 


THE    BOILDERS     GUIDE. 


14V 


To  miter  the  molding  in  the  valley  at  D,  Fig. 
107,  which  is  the  junction  of  two  gables,  take  for 
the  cut  down  the  sides  of  the  box  the  plumb  cut  of 
the  common  rafter,  which  in  this  case  I  will  sup- 
pose to  be  one-half  pitch,  which  is  in  accordance 
with  the  diagrams.  For  the  cut  across  the  top  of 
box  use  the  same  bevel  as  for  cutting  the  jacks, 
which  is  shown  at  J.  Fig.  no  shows  the  manner 
of  applying  the  square  to  the  box  for  laying  off 


Fig  110.— Manner  of  Applying  the  Square  to  the  Miter  Box  for  Laying 
Off  the  Cuts. 


the  cuts.  It  will  be  necessary  to  put  two  cuts  in 
the  box,  right  and  left,  as  shown.  In  connection 
with  this  kind  of  a  box  it  is  more  convenient  to 
make  it  with  only  one  side,  as  shown  in  Fig.  in. 
The  side,  however,  should  be  made  of  a  thick  piece 
of  lumber,  so  that  it  will  form  a  good  guide  for 
the  saw.  As  these  miter  boxes  are  used  only  for 
a  special  purpose  no  one  wants  to  spend  very  much 
time  making  them,  therefore  the  box  with  one  side 
is  recommended  to  answer  the  purpose,  and  it  is 


148  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

the  easiest  to  make,  The  secret  of  a  good  miter 
box  lies  in  having  the  sides  stand  square  with  the 
bottom  and  of  the  same  hight  from  end  to  end 
If  these  two  points  are  carefully  observed  and  the 
cuts  made  true,  good  results  will  follow,  no  matter 
how  rough  the  box  may  be  in  appearance. 

To  miter  the  level  molding  at  A,  in  Fig.  107,  with 
the  gable  molding  A  F,  cut  the  level  molding  A  B  in 
a  common  miter  box,  using  the  square  mittr,  and  cut 
the  gable  molding  A  F  in  the  box  as  described  in 
connection  with  Fig.  no.  By  this  method  a  fair  job 


\ 


Fig.  111.— Miter  Box  with  One  Side 

can  be  done,  but  the  moldings  will  not  member 
exactly.  To  make  a  perfect  joint  the  gable  molding 
requires  a  slightly  different  profile. 

Fig.  112  shows  the  elevation  plan  of  a  hip  and  valley 
roof  drawn  to  the  scale  of  a  third  pitch,  in  which  is 
shown  another  form  of  miter  joints.  A  B  is  the  length 
and  position  of  left  end  hip  rafter,  C  D  the  length  of 
common  rafter,  C  E  the  length  and  position  of  left 
valley  rafter,  F  G  the  length  and  position  of  left  hip 
on  front  end,  and  F  H  the  length  of  common  rafter. 
A  B,  C  E  and  F  G  show  the  miter  lines  of  hips  and 
valleys.  There  is  nothing  peculiar  or  difficult  about 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


149 


the  joints  at  A,  C  and  E  except  the  mitering  of  the 
fascia  and  crown  molding  on  a  square  cornice, 
which  means  that  the  ends  of  the  rafters  are  cut 
square  and  that  the  fascia  and  crown  molding  stand 
square  with  the  roof  instead  of  plumb.  To  miter  the 
sheeting  or  the  planceer  on  the  hips  or  in  the  valley, 
take  the  length  of  common  rafter  C  D  on  the  blade 
and  the  run  of  common  rafter  D  E  on  the  tongue. 
The  figures  for  a  third  pitch  are  14^2  inches  on  blade 
and  12  inches  on  tongue,  the  tongue  giving  the  cut, 


F  I 

Fijr.  112.- Hip  and  Valley  Roof  of  One-Third  Pitch. 

or  the  bevel  may  be  taken  at  C,  as  shown  in  the  dia- 
gram. There  is  also  a  bevel  across  the  edge  of  the 
board,  which  may  be  found  in  the  following  manner  : 
Take  the  length  of  common  rafter  F  H  on  the  b1ade 
and  the  rise  of  common  rafter  I  H  on  the  tongue. 
The  figures  for  a  third  pitch  are  14^  inches  on  blade 
and  8  inches  on  tongue,  the  tongue  giving  the  cut, 
or  the  bevel  may  be  found  as  follows  :  Square  down 
on  the  line  F  H  the  rise  of  common  rafter  H  J  and 
connect  J  F.  The  bevel  at  J  will  be  the  bevel  for 
the  edge  of  the  board. 


150  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

There  is  practically  no  difference  between  a  hip 
and  valley  cut.  The  bevel  on  the  edge  of  board  in  the 
valley  and  on  the  hip  is  the  same,  it  being  only  neces 
sary  to  reverse  the  bevel,  as  the  long  point  of  bevel 
on  hip  will  be  on  the  face  side  of  board  and  in  the 
valley  it  will  be  on  the  back  side. 

To  miter  the  fascia  at  A,  C  or  F  when  it  stands 
square  with  the  roof  proceed  as  follows  :  For  the 
bevel  across  the  edge  of  board  take  the  length  of  the 
common  rafter  on  the  blade  and  the  run  on  the 
tongue,  when  the  tongue  will  give  the  cut.  Figures 
on  the  square  are  the  same  as  for  cutting  the  face 
side  of  sheeting  or  planceer,  or  the  bevel  may  be  taken, 
as  shown  at  C.  For  the  cut  down  the  side  of  fascia 
take  the  length  of  the  common  rafter  on  the  blade 
and  the  rise  of  common  rafter  on  tongue,  and  the 
tongue  will  give  the  cut,  or  take  the  bevel  shown  at  J. 

To  make  the  cut  on  a  miter  box  for  mitering  the 
molding  on  the  hips  and  valleys  take  the  bevel  at  C 
for  the  cut  across  the  top  of  box,  which  is  14/^2  inches 
on  blade  and  12  inches  on  tongue.  The  tongue  gives 
the  cut.  For  the  cut  down  the  side  of  box  take  the 
bevel  at  J,  which  is  14/^2  inches  on  the  blade  and  8 
inches  on  the  tongue  The  tongue  gives  the  cut. 
The  facts  when  condensed  are  as  follows: 

Length  of  common  rafter,  14/^2  inches  on  blade, 
and  run  of  common  rafter,  12  inches  on  tongue,  gives 
cut  for  face  of  planceer  or  sheeting.  The  tongue 
gives  the  cut. 

Length  of  common  rafter,  14^  inches  on  blade, 
and  rise  of  common  rafter,  8  inches  on  tongue,  gives 
cut  for  edge  of  planceer  or  sheeting.  The  tongue 
gives  the  cut, 


THE    BUILDERS     GUIDE. 


Length  of  common  rafter,  14^  inches  on  blade, 
and  run  of  common  rafter,  12  inches  on  tongue, 
gives  cut  for  edge  of  fascia.  The  tongue  gives  the 
cut. 

Length  of  common  rafter,  14^  inches  on  blade, 
and  rise  of  common  rafter,  8  inches  on  tongue,  gives 
cut  for  side  of  fascia.  The  tongue  gives  the  cut. 

MITERING    ROOF    BOARDS    AND    PLANCEERS. 

To  miter  planceers  and  roof  boards  in  valleys  of 
two  pitches  it  is  only  necessary  to  take  the  figures 


Fig.  113.— Plan  of  Valley  la  a  Roof  of  Two  Pitches. 

on  the  square  which  cut  the  bevels  across  the  top  of 
the  jacks  on  the  two  pitches  and  reverse  the  cut,  as 
the  roof  boards  and  planceers  run  in  an  opposite 
direction  to  the  jacks. 

The  bevels  may  be  taken  from  any  plan  showing 
the  two  pitches  and  cuts  of  jacks.  Fig.  113  repre- 
sents the  plan  of  a  valley  in  a  roof  of  two  pitches. 


152  THE  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

The  dotted  lines  D  B  and  B  F  are  the  lines  plumb 
under  the  ridge.  A  B  shows  the  run  of  the  valley, 
C  D  the  length  of  common  rafter  on  left  gable,  and 
E  F  the  length  of  common  rafter  on  front  gable. 
Transfer  the  length  of  common  rafter  C  D  to  C  G 
and  draw  the  ridge  line  G  H,  which  extends  to  the 
center  of  front  gable.  Transfer  the  length  of  com- 
mon rafter  E  F  to  E  I  and  draw  the  ridge  line  I  J, 
which  extends  to  the  center  of  left  gable.  Connect 
A  H  and  A  J,  which  shows  the  position  of  valley  for 
finding  the  bevels  of  the  jacks,  roof  boards  and  plan- 
ceers  on  both  sides  of  the  hip.  The  bevels  at  K  and 
L  are  the  jack  rafter  bevels.  The  bevels  at  M  and  N 
are  the  bevels  for  mitering  the  roof  boards  or  plan- 
ceers.  The  bevels  at  H  and  J  are  also  the  same  as  M 
and  N,  and  show  very  plainly  that  they  are  the  re- 
verse of  the  jack  rafter  bevels.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  have  the  planceers  of  a  different  width  in  order  to 
have  them  member  exactly,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
boards  in  the  diagram.  If  this  plan  is  followed  there 
will  be  no  twisting  of  planceers  in  cornicing  when 
joining  roofs  of  different  pitches. 

BEVEL    FOR    HIP    OR    VALLEY. 

A  question  in  roof  framing  which  sometimes  comes 
up  in  actual  practice  is  how  to  cut  the  bevel  on  the 
lower  end  of  a  hip  or  valley  corresponding  to  a 
square  cut  of  the  common  rafter.  This  is  only  used 
in  cutting  the  ends  of  hip  and  valley  rafters  prepara- 
tory to  nailing  on  the  fascia  and  crown  molding. 
Every  carpenter  knows  that  a  square  cut  on  a  hip  or 
valley  will  not  correspond  with  a  square  cut  on  the 
common  rafter. 

This  cut  may  be  obtained  in  the  following  manner: 


THE  BUILDERS'  GCJIDE. 


153 


Take  17  inches  on  the  blade  of  a  square  and  one  half 
the  rise  of  the  common  rafter  to  a  foot  run  on  the 
tongue,  and  the  tongue  gives  the  cut. 

For  example,  suppose  I  have  a  roof  of  one-third 
pitch.  This  being  a  rise  of  8  inches  to  the  foot  run,  8 
and  12  will  make  the  common  rafter  cuts  and  17  and 


Fig.  114  —Manner  of  Applying  the  Steel  Square  to  Obtain  Bevel 
for  Hip  or  Valley  Rafter. 

4  the  cut  on  the  end  of  the  hip  or  valley  correspond- 
ing to  a  square  cut  of  the  common  rafter.  Fig.  114 
shows  the  manner  of  applying  the  square  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  the  bevel  on  the  lower  end  of  a 
hip  or  valley  rafter. 


An  Important  Point 114 

Area  of  a  Gable,  Finding  the 20 

Area  of  a  Triangle,  Finding  the 21 

Art  of  Roof  Framing 80 

Backing  Hip  Rafters 83 

Base,  Mitering  and  Coping 68 

Bathrooms 51 

Bay  Windows,  To  Prevent  Leaks  in '...  77 

Bevel  for  Hip  or  Valley 152 

Bevel  of  Jack  Rafters 82 

Binding  Sliding  Doors 71 

Blocks,  Corner 67 

Building  Out  of  Square,  Hips  on  End  of 96 

Carpentry  Work,  Estimating  Labor  for 38 

Casings,  Estimating  Corner 15 

Chimneys,  Foundations  and 55 

Circle,  The 30 

Circle  from  a  Segment,  To  Find  the  Radius  of  a 31 

Circle  of  Jack  Rafters,  Great  86 

Circle  Through  Three  Points,  To  Draw  a 31 

Complicated  Roof  Framing  Made  Easy 90 

Construction,  Practical  Methods  of 64 

Contract,  Form  of 62 

Coping  Base,  Mitering  and 68 

Corner  Blocks 67 

Corner  Casings,  Estimating 15 

Corners,  Making 64 

Cornice,  Estimating 14 

Cornices 46 

Cubic  Measure 5 

Curved  or  Molded  Roofs 121 

Different  Pitches,  Gables  of  100 

Divisions  in  Estimating,  Principal 54 

Door  Frames 49 

Doors,  Binding  Sliding 7i 

155 


156  INDEX  TO  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 

Doors,   Folding 51 

Doors,  Sliding 50 

Double  Floors 44 

Draw  a  Circle  Through  Three  Points,  To 31 

Drawings,  Roof  Framing  Without 134 

Estimate,  Form  for  an 54 

Estimating  Corner  Casings 15 

Estimating  Cornice 14 

Estimating  Floor  Joists  13 

Estimating  Hardware,  List  of  Items  for 60 

Estimating  Labor,  Points  on 41 

Estimating  Labor  by  the  Piece,  Table  of  Prices  for 43 

Estimating  Labor  by  the  Square,  Table  of  Prices  for 42 

Estimating  Labor  for  Carpentry  Work 38 

Estimating  Lumber,  List  of  Items  for 17 

Estimating  Nails,  Table  for 61 

Estimating,  Points  on 3 

Estimating,  Principal  Divisions  in 54 

Estimating,  Practical  Rules  for 7 

Estimating  Sheeting. 7 

Estimating  Shingles 8 

Estimating,  Short  Cut  in 53 

Estimating  Siding 7 

Estimating  Studding 9 

Estimating  Window  Frames 49 

Example  and  Solution • 55 

Excavations 54 

Finding  the  Area  of  a  Gable 20 

Finding  the  Area  of  a  Triangle 21 

Floors,  Double 44 

Floor  Joists,  Estimating  13 

Folding  Doors 51 

Form  for  an  Estimate 54 

Form  of  Contract 62 

Foundations  and  Chimneys 55 

Frames,  Door 49 

Frames,  Estimating  Window 49 

Framing,  Art  of  Roof 8° 

Framing  by  the  Steel  Square,  Roof 129 

Framing  Made  Easy,  Complicated  Roof 90 

Framing  Without  Drawings,  Roof 134 


INDEX  TO  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  157 

Gable,  Finding  the  Area  of  a 20 

Gables  of  Different  Pitches 100 

Gables  Diagonally,  Joining 118 

Gable  Roofs,   Plain 22 

Geometrical  Measurement  of  Roofs 19 

Great  Circle  of  Jack  Rafters 86 

Gutters 46 

Hardware 60 

Hardware,  List  of  Items  for  Estimating 60 

Hip  Roofs 23 

Hip  and  Jack  Rafters,  Octagon 116 

Hip  and  Valley  Roofs 26,  107 

Hip  or  Valley,  Bevel   for 152 

Hip  Rafters,   Backing 83 

Hip  Roofs  of  Unequal  Pitches 84 

Hips  and  Valleys,  Shingling 77 

Hips  on  End  of  Building  Out  of  Square 96 

Important  Point,  An 114 

Items  and  Quantities 6 

Items  and  Quantities  Required,  List  of 6 

Items  for  Estimating  Hardware,  List  of 60 

Items  for  Estimating  Lumber,  List  of 17 

Jack  Rafters,  Bevel  of 82 

Jack  Rafters,  Great  Circle  of 86 

Jack  Rafters,  Octagon  Hip  and 116 

Joining  Gables  Diagonally 118 

Labor,  Points  on  Estimating 41 

Labor  by  the  Piece,  Table  of  Prices  for  Estimating 43 

Labor  by  the  Square,  Table  of  Prices  for  Estimating 42 

Labor  for  Carpentry  Work,  Estimating 38 

Lathing  and  Plastering 56 

Laying  Out  Rafters 139 

Leaks  in  Bay  Windows,  To  Prevent 77 

Linear  Measure 4 

List  of  Items  and  Quantities  Required 6 

List  of  Items  for  Estimating  Hardware 60 

List  of  Items  for  Estimating  Lumber 17 

Making  Corners 64 


158  INDEX  TO  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


Measure,  Cubic .    5 

Measure,  Linear 4 

Measure,  Square 4 

Measurement  of  Roofs,  Geometrical 19 

Methods  of  Construction,  Practical 64 

Mistakes  from  Omissions 16 

Mitering  and  Coping  Base 68 

Mitering  Planceers,  Moldings,  &c 144 

Mitering  Roof  Boards  and  Planceers 151 

Molded  Roofs,  Curved  or 121 

Moldings,  &c.,  Mitering  Planceers 144 

Nails,  Table  for  Estimating 61 

Nails  to  the  Pound,  Number  of 61 

Octagon  Hip  and  Jack  Rafters 116 

Omissions,  Mistakes  from 16 

Painting 56 

Pantries 51 

Pitches,  Gables  of  Different 100 

Pitches,  Hip  Roofs  of  Unequal 84 

Plain  Gable  Roofs 22 

Planceers,  Moldings,  &c.,  Mitering 144 

Planceers,  Mitering  Roof  Boards  and 151 

Plastering,  Lathing  and 56 

Point,  An  Important 114 

Points  on  Estimating 3 

Points  on  Estimating  Labor 41 

Polygons 32 

Porches 48 

Practical  Methods  of  Construction 64 

Practical  Rules  for  Estimating 7 

Prices  for  Estimating  Labor  by  the  Piece,  Table  of 43 

Prices  for  Estimating  Labor  by  the  Square,  Table  of 42 

Principal  Divisions  in  Estimating 54 

Quantities,  Items  and 6 

Quantities  Required,  List  of  Items  and 6 

Radius  of  a  Circle  from  a  Segment,  To  Find  the  31 

Rafter  Table I35 


INDEX  TO  BUILDERS'  GUIDE.  159 

Rafters,  Backing  Hip 83 

Rafters,  Bevel  of  Jack  82 

Rafters,  Great  Circle  of  Jack 86 

Rafters,  Laying  Out  139 

Rafters,  Octagon  Hip  and  Jack 116 

Rafters,  Raising 142 

Recapitulation 52 

Roof  Boards  and  Planceers,  Mitering 151 

Roof  Framing,  Art  of 80 

Roof  Framing  by  the  Steel  Square  129 

Roof  Framing  Made  Easy,  Complicated  90 

Roof  Framing  Without  Drawings 134 

Roofs,  Curved  or  Molded 121 

Roofs.  Geometrical  Measurement  of 19 

Roofs,  Hip 23 

Roofs,  Hip  and  Valley 26,  102 

Roofs,  Plain  Gable 27 

Roofs  of  Unequal  Pitches,  Hip 84 

Rules  for  Estimating 7 

Segment,  To  Find  the  Radius  of  a  Circle  from  a 31 

Sheeting,  Estimating 7 

Shingles,  Estimating 8 

Shingling,  Hip  and  Valley 77 

Short  Cut  in  Estimating 53 

Siding,  Estimating 7 

Sinks 51 

Sliding  Doors 50 

Sliding  Doors,  Binding 71 

Spacing  Studding 65 

Square  Measure 4 

Stairs 52 

Steel  Square,  Roof  Framing  by  the 129 

Studding,  Estimating 9 

Studding,  Spacing 65 

Table,  Rafter 135 

Table  for  Estimating  Nails 61 

Table  of  Prices  for  Estimating  Labor  by  the  Piece 43 

Table  of  Prices  for  Estimating  Labor  by  the  Square 42 

Three  Points,  To  Draw  a  Circle  Through 31 

To  Prevent  Leaks  in  Bay  Windows 77 

Triangle,  Finding  the  Area  of  a 21 


160  INDEX  TO  BUILDERS'  GUIDE. 


Unequal  Pitches,  Hip  Roofs  of. 


Valley,  Bevel  for  Hip  or 152 

Valley  Roofs,  Hip  and 26,  107 

Valleys,  Shingling  Hips  and 77 

Wainscoting 51 

Window  Frames,  Estimating 49 


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